Faux Pas
by BondageInc
Summary: Sensui Shinobu’s plan was supposed to be perfect, but in the end it had one fatal flaw. Now, both Sensui and Itsuki must suffer the consequences. Revised Nov 12, '05
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Faux Pas - Prologue

It was quiet. So very quiet. He slowly became aware once more, knowing only the silence and the nothingness around him. There used to be so much more in the world, only now his world was confined to darkness. He was trapped in a vacant abyss that had been created for him at his death. If he had a body, he would have sighed.

There was no sound, no life, and no movement. That was to be expected though. He had, after all, expected _nothing_. What he hadn't expected was the sense of calm and the feeling of serenity that was blanketing his consciousness. He had never felt this at peace with himself before. For the first time since he could remember, he felt whole.

The answer to why he was here lay just beyond his grasp, brushing against the edge of his non-existent fingertips. He could not quite remember why he was dead, only that he was so. He did not know where he was, only that this was a place where he felt safe. He was in a void filled only with nothing, yet he felt at home for the first time in forever. He wasn't burdened with emotions or detailed thoughts, he just **_was_**. Was this what death was supposed to be like? It was so peaceful.

And he had dreamed of peace for so long…

Dreamed of peace, and dreamed of the quiet nothing.

With focusing all of his consciousness, he was able to move himself or, at least, he assumed he was moving. Being a non-entity surrounded by nothing made it hard to tell, but he had a sense that he was travelling. He spent his

_(days, months, years)_

time constantly drifting through the seemingly endless void. It was not discontent that made him wander, more so that he was curious as to where he was. It was simply exploration.

He had learned his place of residence was not so endless when he discovered that, at one point, he was able to go no further. It was like an invisible barrier was strung up in front of him, impeding any further passage. He did not know how long it had taken him to get there, or where this new 'there' was, he only knew that his options were limited now that his progress was blocked. He drifted along the barrier, searching for some crack he could go through, or for anything at all. Continued investigation led nowhere and he was forced to accept the fact he had reached the end, the end of nothing.

He opted to continue his exploration of the void, the nothing, and drifted back the way he had come. He still carried that feeling of blissful detachment, that things were well even if he could not remember who or what or where or how. He was still curious, yes, but he could continue this existence without all the answers. He could be happy. He could be at peace.

Then his world fell apart.

It began with a small tingle in the farthest depths of his consciousness. From there it spread like wild fire until it had expanded into a solid force around him. He couldn't see what was happening, only sense it. It started as a crack, then chipped away into rip, spreading into a chasm. The void was being pulled, torn, slashed apart by some outside force. It was dissolving around him, disappearing like a paper's whiteness marked by spilt ink. His nothingness was marred, used, tainted. With a final lurch, it ripped around him and he could do more than vaguely sense. The nothingness gave way to light, and he gave way to something more.

Sensui Shinobu opened his eyes.


	2. Chapter One

Faux Pas - Chapter One

When it happened, Koenma was in his private office going through the mundane task of sorting through souls and directing them to their final destinations. Jorge, however, was out in the central office area and happened to learn about it sooner.

Jorge had worked faithfully as an agent of the Spirit World for a long time; so long, in fact, that he had steadily lost all memories of his life before death. In his time as Lord Koenma's assistant he had seen and been part of a number of strange events. These included, but did not limit to, the kidnapping of his employer, the complete and total flooding of his workplace, and his own misadventures in voiceovers. One of the most notable of all the strange events was a case that had remained open (though only a few knew about this fact) for years due to a minor technicality; the soul had never been recovered.

Fate seemed to work in mysterious ways and caused things to return full circle. This event was of no exception. At the precise time the void was collapsing on itself, Jorge was in the middle of a debate with a junior employee on soul recovery, who had misplaced several files and caused a complete system backup. No doubt it would cause Lord Koenma to be very angry and, though he was more patient and understanding than his father, he could certainly cause misery if he were so inclined. So involved was he in trying to explain just why you never misplaced files, that at first Jorge didn't notice the excited commotion behind him.

"It just turned up on my desk. I've never seen anything like it before."

"I've never even seen this name in the records. It looks almost as though it were written off. What am I supposed to do with a form that can't be confirmed?"

The blue ogre paused in his reprimanding. There were very few cases that were ever written off. There were only two that came to mind, and Lord Koenma had seen to both personally. One involved the late detective Urameshi Yusuke and his rather questionable lineage. The other involved the former detective Sensui Shinobu and his whereabouts after death. Even if it had nothing to do with either, Jorge reasoned it should be brought to his superior's attention immediately.

And if it did have something to do with either of the detectives… well, better for Lord Koenma to know before Lord Enma.

"I'll take care of it," he said, dismissing the harried junior and walking over to the two talking ogres. The one who had the paper nodded and handed it over, returning to business.

Jorge's eyes widened as he scanned the paper, all the while walking in the direction of Lord Koenma's office. He was surprised, to say the least. The last thing he ever expected to turn up was a file recording the death of Itsuki, due for processing. In truth, he had almost forgotten about Sensui's quiet partner. He thought the demon had retreated to the void, where his soul would remain even after death. At least, that had been his understanding as Lord Koenma had recounted that particular case to him, oh so long ago.

But if his soul had escaped… Jorge's mind spun with the possibilities of that simple statement. Itsuki's soul had turned up and if Itsuki was dead, where did that leave Sensui? Perhaps the real question was what had happened to Sensui's _soul_?

No matter the answer, he was wasting time. He was only an assistant, after all. Such things were far beyond his expertise. Jorge picked up his pace and ran the rest of the way to his destination.

Sensui had to blink a few times in order for the world to come into focus. Everything seemed a little too bright, despite the fact he was in the shade of a large grouping of trees. Still, the greens and browns were just a bit too vibrant, a bit too_ real_. After all, they couldn't really be there, because he was nowhere. He was dead.

The former Spirit World detective raised a transparent hand to his forehead. It was an unconscious action that he had done when frustrated in the years leading up to his death. The movement seemed so natural that at first he didn't realize he had done it. The greater significance dawned on him as he felt pressure against his forehead. He was no longer a hovering consciousness, he had obtained a form. He frowned. What was going on? This wasn't supposed to be happening.

Memories were resurfacing, long suppressed by his years of dormancy. He had died. Been killed by a boy whose powerfar surpassed his own. No, not a boy exactly; he had been a descendant of the demon race. Demons were those he was sworn to protect from the vile filth known as humans. Or was it the other way around? Sensui clutched his head as a low moan escaped from his lips. Slivers of information that jumbled together were bombarding him, being recalled vaguely but not remembered in full detail. His head felt as though it were being split, ripped apart by the waves of information that were cascading through his already overridden senses.

Who… _what_… was he exactly?

He was the notorious demon killer, known throughout the three worlds as the one who let none that were born in the Demon World live after crossing paths.

He was a boy who was stalked by strange creatures. They killed and murdered, unprovoked. Yet he was the only one who could see them, who could see all the blood.

_(so much blood)_

What had he done to warrant their anger? Why was he so different? Why could he see them?

He was a killer, a murderer of innocents. He enjoyed the thrill of fighting, reveled in the screams of his enemies, and took joy in their cries as they begged him for mercy. A mercy that manifested itself only through a quick death.

He loved all things including plants, cows, birds, and everything in nature… except the animals known as human beings.

It was his duty to protect humans; he was a spirit detective entrusted with preserving the welfare of the Human World from any malicious demons that happened to cause trouble. He worked for Koenma, the junior lord of hell; he was partnered with the demon Itsuki, a rare specimen even among his own kind.

He destroyed humans…

He destroyed demons…

A man, a boy, a saint, a monster, a victim, a murderer, pure, tainted…

He was all these things. He was Sensui Shinobu.

Koenma was not in the best of moods. He was already behind on his forms since someone had made a mistake with sorting files, and now he had to deal with the sudden appearance of a criminal who had been missing for over seven hundred years. A criminal that had directly opened a tunnel to the Demon World, endangering the entire Human World as a result. A criminal that was one of his former agents. A criminal that he had dismissed from his mind, never expecting to hear of again.

Normally he would not put much thought to the souls that he sentenced to hell; after all, his detectives were the ones that dealt with them personally. He usually had very limited involvement with offenders of the Demon World except for giving out the missions in the first place. However, Itsuki was an entirely different matter altogether.

Though he didn't always show it, he cared for all his employees. But out of all his detectives, he had only ever been particularly close with two. One of those being Sensui Shinobu. It had hit him particularly hard when Sensui had lost his sanity and did a complete one-eighty in his beliefs, causing the near destruction of the Human World in the process. Koenma had, and still, felt in a large part responsible for Sensui's condition, having been the one to give him the assignment that had caused him to lose his mind. Having, as Itsuki had once so eloquently put it, trained a boy to be a killer then hunted him down for being one as a man. He hadn't counted on the Black Black Club engaging in their deranged form of entertainment when his detective had arrived, and that had been a grave miscalculation on his part.

Yes, Koenma blamed himself for Sensui's downward spiral towards madness, this was true. In retrospect, it seemed there was so much he could have done, even the smallest things, that could have made all the difference.

If he had explained things properly in the first place, if he had made the initial effort to alter Sensui's beliefs, if he had been the one to try harder, if he had been more responsible…

Then maybe… just maybe…

Maybe Sensui wouldn't have developed such a radical black and white view of the world. Maybe Itsuki's presence wouldn't have initially sparked the conflict in Sensui's beliefs. Maybe the Black Black Club encounter would not have gone so horribly, terribly wrong.

Maybes were about as useful as 'what ifs'.

But as much as he blamed himself, wasn't there a small part of him, a _darker_ part of him, that wanted to blame Itsuki too?

Koenma had been the one to allow Itsuki to accompany Sensui after the demon's initial defeat, letting him go so far as to help Sensui with the majority of his missions. At first he had thought it would be a welcome change for the young spirit detective. A demon companion could perhaps show Sensui that there was a good side to every species. Itsuki hadn't had any significant criminal record at the time, and had seemed to be the voice of balancing logic that Sensui had been missing.

What he hadn't expected was for Itsuki to seemingly be the first element in causing Sensui to doubt his choices in defending the human race. If one demon could appear almost human, with feelings, emotions, and needs, then why couldn't they all be that way? At the time, the teenager had battled with conflicting emotions over whether he was just in killing any demons that he came across, and whether he was a murderer rather than a savior. Following orders always won out in the end, as Koenma had explained that the demons were criminals, threats, and nuisances Sensui was responsible for disposing of. But rather than Koenma himself consoling the troubled boy, Itsuki had been there as his confident. And if Koenma were honest with himself, didn't, deep down, he resent that just the slightest?

That, however, was all in the past as well. Whether Itsuki had in fact had an influence in the decline of Sensui's fragile reality, there would never be any way of knowing for sure; never any solid proof. The true decline, the true questioning, the true uncertainty had started after Sensui slaughtered the BBC. The facts were that Koenma knew he himself had done wrong, and his actions were the only ones he could hold accountable.

After Sensui's death, he had done what he could. Koenma had taken careful precautions to write off Sensui's file and all things relating to it. He would let the troubled man's soul be at rest as per his wishes. Itsuki was considered a key part in his 'disappearance' and so the demon had unknowingly been dismissed from the records in an attempt to keep Sensui's soul safe. Koenma had never actually counted on the demon's soul returning from the void, but now that Itsuki was no longer in the confines of his protected haven, Koenma found he desperately wanted

_(needed)_

to speak with him. Since Itsuki's soul was now up for processing, it was too late to worry about cover-ups. It was only a matter of time.

He'd use what time he had

If Sensui's soul was free… there was a chance. He could speak with him and try and make amends for the past.

And Itsuki was his key to finding Sensui…

Jorge was watching him nervously, keeping the desk between himself and his superior. Probably a good idea considering that, on more than one occasion, he had proved an unwilling outlet for Koenma's anger. Luckily for him, Jorge was the furthest thing from Koenma's mind. The junior lord of hell raised his golden-brown eyes to those of his assistant and spoke with a careful deliberation he rarely displayed.

"I want Itsuki brought to me immediately. If he refuses to cooperate with the ferrygirl, deploy the Special Defense Team on a retrieval mission." He leaned forward across the desk, his eyes never straying from Jorge's. "My father is not to know of this. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Koenma."

As Jorge exited the office Koenma leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. One hand lifted, rubbing lightly at the bridge of his nose. He knew that the demon would not be inclined to speak with him, but this was something he felt he needed to do. He would track down Shinobu with Itsuki's help, willing or not.


	3. Chapter Two

Faux Pas - Chapter Two

Sensui wasn't aware of exactly how much time had passed since he had closed his eyes, but when he opened them it was getting ever darker. The shade of the trees, combined with the growing twilight, did nothing for his vision and so he closed his eyes once more. He had spent an undeterminable amount of time sorting through his garbled memories and at last he had hit the root of the problem.

Some time back before his actual death, he had lost his mind. Gone completely and utterly insane, that is, if one defined insane as gaining a multiple personality disorder.

His insanity was not one of continuous fits of raving lunacy one normally associated with the word. His was more of a quiet, festering seed in his mind that had been implanted at the time of entering the Black Black Club's headquarters and slowly budded into something more. It grew and fully bloomed after he had stolen and watched the Black Chapter. Near the end, it had spread its spores throughout five of the seven, though they had not all successfully grown into the fruition of an all-consuming madness. Seeing all the horrible things humans were capable of had finally caused something inside him to snap. Rather than ravings, it was demonstrated in his almost eerie cunning and elaborate planning. He supposed Kazuya was the physical manifestation of all his madness, seeing as how that particular part of him had no problems in the ranting and raving department.

It no longer mattered because he couldn't _feel_ Kazuya. It was unusually quiet in his head and the only explanation was that they were gone. Kazuya, Minoru, Naru, all of them… gone.

He supposed that the major reason he was having such difficulty processing the matters leading to his current situation was a result of having seven different memories suddenly melded into one.

Going solely on assumption, Sensui guessed that at his time of death his other personalities had merely ceased to exist. It was strange without the racket that had normally encompassed his mind as the struggle for control commenced. That wasn't necessarily as bad as it sounded; on most occasions whichever personality was best suited for a task would take control and deal with it to the best of their ability, and switch off when necessary. As usual, Kazuya was the exception to the rule. If he wanted something done his way, he was apt to use brute force to take over the situation.

Still, rather than feeling an absence within him, he felt complete. _Whole_. It was as though he had never formed other personalities to begin with. All that remained were his memories of the way things were. With this new information coming from only a single perspective within his mind, he could go through his mental checklist and try to figure out what was happening.

Firstly - he was dead.

Secondly – his whole elaborate scheme to open up the hole to the Demon World and ultimately meet his end by a stronger demon had worked out perfectly. He had died by Urameshi's hand (or some variation of it. He recalled the boy arguing with him about who exactly was responsible for the final blow) and had presumably been taken away by Itsuki as had been part of the original plan. His last will, per say.

Thirdly – he had spent an unknown amount of time in the shadow void under Itsuki's protection and was (or had been) free from any Spirit World intervention.

Question. Why was his soul here? Wherever 'here' was?

Probable answers. Itsuki had for some reason or another released his soul. He doubted if the demon had done it willingly. Itsuki had been with him before, during, and after his madness. The demon was loyal and devoted to the core and, more so, he was a friend. A partner. So that led him to his next question. _Why_? As far as he knew there was no way the void could be penetrated or destroyed.

In short, his years of planning, his calculated decisions, his manipulations, his maneuvering of his pawns to just the right areas on the board in order to achieve his goals had come to this. There would be no peaceful ending in oblivion for him. It seemed that in reality there _were_ no happy endings. Without a doubt Koenma would have him hunted down like some common prey animal and brought to the Spirit World to stand trial for his crimes. Koenma was, after all, a man with a job to do. Sensui knew this well; he could relate. All he had to look forward to now was hell.

All caused by one single miscalculation within his plans.

Who would have thought such an error could cause such repercussions?

There were options, as there always were. He could run, trying to outwit and outlast Koenma for all eternity. But what sort of sad excuse for an existence would that be? No, this was beyond him now.

With no hope of outrunning his fate, he resigned himself to simply wait. He would be found, he was sure of that. It was only a matter of whether it would be Itsuki or Koenma who found him first.

---

Koenma's mood was getting steadily worse as the day wore on. There was still no sign of Sensui, and Itsuki had yet to arrive. That wasn't the end of it, oh no. It seemed that when the junior lord of hell had a bad day, it was a _really_ bad day.

In something that was too convenient to be coincidence, reports had been coming in on a strange demon popping up randomly throughout Mushiori City. No one had gotten a direct fix on it yet, nor any useful description; he only knew that there was a malicious demon present and that was potential trouble. So far its victims had all been of the infrastructural kind, but how long was that likely to last?

He was in the middle of pacing out his frustrations when there was a knock at the door. Its echo effect throughout the room caused Koenma to stop and turn as it swung open, revealing a slightly frazzled looking Jorge.

"Have you found anything?" he more or less demanded of his assistant.

"It's Itsuki," the ogre said. "He's just arrived."

Koenma nodded in satisfaction. "Bring him in then." Jorge nodded and disappeared from sight. Koenma used the time to assume a position by his desk, unconsciously standing up straighter to increase his height. He waited. The seconds passed by and his impatience began building towards irritation. It took less time than it actually seemed before Itsuki was led in.

On either side of the demon was a member of the Special Defense Team, steering him with a hand on his upper arm. If he was at all shook up he didn't show it. Impassively, the demon merely stared straight ahead. He didn't even seem that angry. Of course, Koenma never had been able to read Itsuki as he had his partner. There was really no telling what thoughts were currently running through the demon's head.

He was halted halfway across the room while the guards on either side of him looked to Koenma for instructions.

"You may go."

The two shared a look and the one on the right nodded reluctantly. "We'll be just outside if you need us." With that, they departed from the room.

Koenma looked over the demon as the door closed once more. He was much thinner than the last time they had crossed paths, but otherwise unchanged. His arms had risen from his sides as soon as he was unhanded and had crossed in front of his chest. Normally one would relate the action with an unconscious form of defense or challenge, but who really knew with Itsuki? It may have just been an instinctive reaction. Koenma's eyes rose to Itsuki's face, where a single golden eye stared back at him.

"Did you feel I was such a threat that you had to change into your adult form?" Itsuki asked, one fine green eyebrow rising.

For a moment, he was too surprised to reply. That hadn't been what he was expecting. "No," Koenma replied after a short pause. "I've been able to maintain this form constantly for two hundred years now." He saw, briefly, a flicker of _something_ pass through Itsuki's one functioning eye. "You don't know how long you've been eluding outside interference," Koenma said slowly, watching Itsuki for a further reaction. It was a question, and yet at the same time, he knew it was true. "It's been seven hundred and thirty-two years."

Itsuki said nothing.

"Don't you think that's long enough?" Koenma asked quietly.

"It will never be long enough," was the demon's reply.

There was really no proper way to respond to that, Koenma found. Instead, he tried to make the demon see reason. "Perhaps not, but it's a bit too late to change things. You're here now, and it's time you were sentenced. Your previous service record will counterbalance some of your offences, and your punishment will be reasonable. You have nothing to lose, Itsuki, so please tell me where Shinobu is."

Itsuki's eye closed and when he spoke his voice was remorseful. "I do not know."

Koenma sighed. Really, what had he expected? For the demon to just willingly hand Sensui over? It was a nice thought, but completely out of the question. "There's no need to hide anything."

"I am not," Itsuki countered. The eye half opened and gazed defiantly at the figure before him. "However, if I did know where he was, I would not tell you. He wished to remain free of this place, to not have his soul judged by you. Respect that. Just because you want to speak with him, seeking solace for your past mistakes, that is no reason to make him suffer."

Golden-brown eyes widened in shock. Somewhere inside him, a spark of anger began to grow. Even if it were the truth, did Itsuki have any right to make it as though he were the only one in the wrong?

"I seem to have got it right on," Itsuki continued. "You have not changed at all. You are still as selfish as you always were. It does not matter whose life you interfere with, as long as it suits your own needs." At this, the demon walked forward until he was directly before the stunned demi-god. "It is that attitude that cost Shinobu his mind."

Koenma's teeth ground together in an effort to control the sudden burst of emotion throughout his body. The spark of anger had changed to a flame and was threatening to grow. He couldn't afford to be goaded by the demon. The important thing was to locate Sensui and take things from there. Even as he told himself that they were only words, words said in spite, knowing that they were true made it so much worse. It _stung_.

Itsuki was striking much too close to home. Koenma had spoken the absolute truth in the Irima cave during the entire tunnel fiasco – he was willing to go to hell with Sensui to pay for his own past mistakes. The detective had been his responsibility and he had failed in his duty towards him. Sensui may have wished to be free, but Koenma would speak to him before steps would be taken towards that. And, he admitted to himself, the chances of Sensui coming away completely clean were not likely. There were so many things the former detective had done that were severe offenses, met with extended terms in hell…

But all that could be dealt with when

_(if)_

Sensui was found.

Which was precisely why he had to convince Itsuki to help him, despite how impossible the task seemed.

"Understand me, Itsuki. It is in his best interest that he be brought here as quickly as possible to receive his sentence. Drawing things out will only lead to more suffering on his behalf."

Itsuki's remaining golden eye narrowed once more. The simple move spoke volumes, conveying the defiance Koenma was growing thoroughly tired of.

"No, understand _me_, little death. Stay away from Shinobu. I will not tell you again."

For a moment, he contemplated threatening the demon with charges of more severe sentencing. Only for a moment. Not only would that sort of blackmail go against the kind of justice system he stood for, but it would not do any good. He knew Itsuki well enough to know that he would never willingly betray Sensui. On some level, he understood Itsuki's wishes perfectly. Still, he couldn't just let Sensui walk away from everything with no repercussions.

At last he said, "You know I can't do that, Itsuki. He broke the laws, and almost destroyed the Human World in the process. It's not just me that knows this, but my father as well. Shinobu's soul will be sentenced, and believe me when I say it will be infinitely better if I'm the one to carry that out rather than my father."

Itsuki scoffed. "It is not that you 'can't', it is that you will not. Besides, if your father knew Shinobu was free, he would have taken care of the matter already."

Koenma sighed. Itsuki was right, of course. It would be better to just lay everything he knew out in the open, and hope that the demon would reciprocate. "You're right. No proof has shown up that Shinobu's soul is in any of the three worlds. You're my best chance at finding out what happened to him."

Itsuki's left hand ghosted across his chest, settling atop his scar. He rubbed gently, and frowned. "You have no right to be so familiar with him after the trouble you have caused."

On the contrary. Koenma felt he had _every_ right to be familiar with Sensui. After all, he had known him longer than Itsuki, had found him when he was young and confused and had helped him understand why the demonic creatures pursued such a small child. It was he who would have

_(should have)_

remained close to his detective, had Itsuki not come into Sensui's life.

What was the use of arguing? They were wasting valuable time on petty squabbles. If only the demon would realize that!

"Very well. I will ask you again. For the sake of Sensui, will you tell me where he is?"

"It is true that I do not know where he is," Itsuki replied after a moment of hesitation. "He should have remained in the void if I was to die." The demon's frown deepened. "As my soul was suppose to." He continued on, as though to himself. "Perhaps it collapsed on my death and reformed on a spiritual plane…"

No expert on what that entailed, Koenma prompted him. "What would that mean for Sensui?"

"It is possible that his spirit remained in the void as it transferred over. Though it is likely he would have been expelled the same way that I was," the demon confessed. "However, there would be no way to pinpoint the exact location of where he would have come out. The void is vast, and his soul was free to wander it as he pleased. It would also be impossible to determine what world he would be occupying." Here, Itsuki's hand fell away from his scar and dropped to his side. His body shifted slightly, this time in a way Koenma was positive was a form of challenge. "If I had known where to find him, neither of us would be here. I would have made sure of it."

"I have no doubt," Koenma said, walking around the side of his desk, and sitting in the chair. "It does not change the fact that you are here though, and presumably so is Sensui." At this, he leaned forward, studying the demon. "Will you help me to find him?"

"No," was the demon's reply.

Koenma nodded his head. It was not unexpected. However, if Itsuki was unwilling to help his cause, then their conversation was over. He picked up Itsuki's processing form, as well as his stamp. "You're making a mistake," the demi-god told him quietly, before raising his voice. "Itsuki, you are charged with the opening of the tunnel connecting the Human and Demon Worlds and, in doing so, endangering the entire human race. Due to your previous service to the Spirit World, you will receive a reduced sentence of one hundred years in hell. Do you understand the charges and consequences?"

"Yes."

A slender hand grasped the stamp reading 'hell' and lowered it over the form. Before it could touch down, Itsuki interrupted.

"Wait."

Golden-brown eyes met with gold. Koenma's hand wavered.

"I ask that you relay all of Shinobu's charges to my file. If his soul is out there and you find him, then you will have no grounds on which to hold him."

Koenma hesitated. It would be the easy way out; to leave the demon with the rap and allow Sensui to walk away. A means to the end for the peace he so wished to make with the former detective.

But it wasn't right.

"Sensui may have been one of my detectives, but it doesn't change the fact that what he did goes against everything he previously fought for. He had a commitment, a duty, and in abandoning that, he earned this fate himself."

"Not alone," Itsuki corrected. "_You_ helped earn him this fate. You sent him into that hell, knowing full well what was happening there. It is your fault but you are helpless to change the past." The demon stepped closer, placing his hands on the desk and leaning down so that his scarred face was mere inches away from Koenma's. "But you can change the future and take steps to make this right. Grant a dead man his last wish, to finally be at peace. Just leave him alone." Softly, Itsuki added, "You owe him that much."

"Do you fully understand what you're asking me to do?" Koenma asked, needing to focus on something, anything, other than the constricting in his chest. He knew he had lost. Because, the simple truth of it was, he _did_ owe Sensui that much. "Sensui annihilated the members of the Black Black Club. Humans. If you take that upon yourself, the charge to any demon who kills a human is-"

"I am aware," Itsuki interrupted.

Reluctantly, Koenma nodded. Itsuki drew back from the desk, seemingly satisfied. "Then in addition to your previous charges, you are now found guilty of seizing the Black Chapter, classified property of the Spirit World. You are also found guilty of killing members of the Black Black Club, as well as destroying the Demon World barrier.

"With your new charges against humanity, your term will be extended indefinitely. Do you understand the charges and the consequences?"

"Yes," Itsuki said, just barely loud enough for Koenma's ears to catch.

The stamp lowered, and made an audible 'smack' against the paper. When the stamp was lifted, the bright red lettering for 'Hell' stood out boldly across Itsuki's name.

It didn't make _anything_ right, but Koenma though it could be a start in the right direction.


	4. Chapter Three

Faux Pas - Chapter Three

There was something about the Human World at night…

Hinageshi maneuvered her oar into a skillful dive, skimming over the treetops. She went into a little spin, rotating a hundred and eighty degrees so that her short red ponytail was trailing just above the leaves. With a small laugh, she righted herself and continued on.

The guide had just finished escorting an elderly man to the Spirit World. He had thankfully taken his death well and there was no real consoling she had to do. The man was actually quite glad, claiming that he was relieved he would finally be with his dead wife again. The seemingly young girl had left him at the gate with a wave and directions on where to go. He had smiled, thanked her, and left her to her own devices.

It had not been a particularly hard day on her, like those when she had to escort a deceased child or someone who hysterically denied the very idea they could be dead. Even so, the red-haired ferrygirl enjoyed going for a short flight after her work was through. Normally she would do it to relieve tension, but on this night it was to simply enjoy herself.

She had matured quite a lot in the past few hundred years, and was now fully capable of doing her duties as an agent of the afterlife. Ever since the confrontation with the Netherworld lord, Hinageshi had put forth all her efforts into bettering herself for her job. It was now a rare occasion that she muddled an assignment or caused her peers trouble. She was actually one of the most reliable and competent guides at Koenma's call. Despite her newly developed skills in escorting the dead to their final destination, it was by blind luck that she stumbled across Sensui.

With a quick tightening of her grip and a locking of her ankles, Hinageshi lowered herself closer to her oar and burst into a clearing. Her eyes narrowed as she set her sights on her goal. With a quick spurt of spiritual energy, she accelerated towards the thick wall of trees ahead of her. Moonlight skirted over the leaves, causing them to shimmer with ethereal quality and to form strange ghostly patterns over the ground.

Stray branches brushed past her body as she reached the trees, skillfully weaving about the trunks. It was as she was ducking a particularly large branch that something caught her attention. A deep shadow within the sheets of foliage, larger and darker than any of the usual forest debris, out of place amongst the trees and small rocks. Hinageshi slowed down and swooped in for a closer look.

'It's too large to be a wolf, and too small to be a bear. Plus bears aren't native to this area,' she thought to herself, hovering cautiously on her oar. 'What if it's a demon?' Her grip on the smooth wood tightened impulsively. She was not particularly fond of dealing with demons due to her past experiences. Physically, she was not strong enough to defend herself against any attacks nor was she capable of running away fast enough. Still, it was her duty to investigate and report any stray demons to her superior. Any wandering humans who could run into a volatile beast needed to be protected at all costs.

Her resolve steadfast, Hinageshi descended until she was just in front of the shadow. Cautiously, she floated forward, prepared to bolt at any second if there seemed to be even the slightest possibility of a threat. There was an abrupt shift as the shadow moved and she started. Before she could take off, a male voice spoke out.

"Who are you?"

It didn't _sound_ like a demon. But really, who could tell by voice alone? She remained wary but held her position. "Hinageshi, guide to the Spirit World. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The shadow moved once more, rearing to its full height and then stepping out into a stream of moonlight. She gasped as it filtered more through him than on him, though still illuminating enough to show what the creature was.

It was a young man. He was tall with short black hair that mussed about his face, several strands trailing over his bright blue eyes. He wore a tattered dark blue sweater that seemed too large for him, and equally ruined pants.

The young man stepped closer and stuck out his hand. "Sensui Shinobu."

Hesitantly, Hinageshi removed one hand from her oar and, at a loss for what else to do, shook with Sensui. He nodded as though satisfied, lowering his arm to his side.

She knew he couldn't be any ordinary human, as she was not in a visible form just anybody would be able to see. That and his near transparency gave her the answer to what he was. The small spirit guide cleared her throat nervously. "You must be a lost soul."

"Oh, yes," Sensui replied. "I don't know if I'm lost so much as stranded."

Red eyebrows arched in confusion. She would have been notified if there were any more souls that needed to be relocated to the Spirit World for judgement, so why was this man here? In the middle of a forest, no less.

"You must work for Koenma," Sensui was saying. "I suppose you've come to get me but I'm afraid I really don't much care to go with you. I think I'd prefer to stay here awhile longer."

Now Hinageshi was extremely confused. This man knew Koenma? What was going on here?

"I really can't just leave you here," she responded automatically, having heard similar things before though under different circumstances. Dead people had such a thing for denial. It was always about how it wasn't their time to go, how they couldn't possibly go with her because there was some _terrible_ _mistake_, they couldn't be dead. Only this man seemed to have a very clear perspective on what was going to happen.

It was unnerving.

"Are you sure?" he asked mildly. He gestured around them. "It's just you, me, and the trees. I'm sure no one would incriminate you if you were to just go on your way and pretend you never saw me. Certainly myself and the trees won't share our little secret." He raised a finger to his lips and lifted an eyebrow, questioningly.

"I couldn't possibly do that. You really do need to come with me," Hinageshi responded.

Sensui's eyes narrowed quickly and there was a spark within them that flared up briefly. Though its presence was gone just as quickly as it appeared, Hinageshi felt unease build up inside of her. Whatever it was, it was dangerous. That much was for sure. "If I refuse?"

Nervousness made her stutter. "I'll have to let Koenma know and he will deal with you." As an after thought she added, "He won't be happy."

Sensui gave a soft snort. "No, I suppose not." He paused for a few seconds, causing Hinageshi to shift restlessly on her oar, then his amiable look returned. "Very well. You have a job to do just as I once did. I'll cooperate for now."

Dumbfounded, Hinageshi could only nod. She was only a spirit guide, after all. If Koenma knew this man personally, and he was a dangerous character, that would be his problem to deal with. She was simply responsible for bringing the dead to their next destination. Plus, her logic argued that it wasn't like Sensui could possibly be a threat to her employer. No matter how dangerous that glint in his eyes had been (if it even _had_ been there, she argued), he was dead.

The oar lowered closer to the ground in order for Sensui to swing his legs overtop of the wood and situate himself behind Hinageshi.

"Keep a firm hold at all times," Hinageshi instructed, falling rapidly into her role as a guide. Sensui did as he was told, grasping the shaft of the oar between his two hands. The oar rose slowly into the air, cleared the trees, then soared off into the clouds and out of sight.

---

In the dead of night, something was stirring.

The streets of the old Mushiori City center were barren. The area had been relatively unchanged over the years, being claimed as a preservation site for society of old. Some of the buildings were in good condition, being preserved and restored through new technology, but others were no longer safe for public use. It was more of a tourist attraction now, where foreigners could come to see the quaint structures of the past.

In the wee hours of the morning, people were at home in their beds, preparing for the coming day. The only sound was the occasional gust of wind and the distant rumbling of the ancient monorail track as shuttles passed overhead. Buildings loomed over the empty streets, most dilapidated or in otherwise bad shape from the years of weathering abuse. In the still calm of the night they seemed out of place. The shadows twisted and distorted them, making their presence ominous.

A cloud passed over the moon, drenching the street in complete darkness. A full minute went by before the cloud shifted, pushed along by the nighttime breeze, once more baring the silver orb in the sky. When the shimmering glow of moonlight washed over the street again, it illuminated something more than pavement.

In the middle of the street floated three pairs of disembodied arms, stacked one on top of another. Silver from the moonlight glanced off the red protrusions sticking out periodically up the length of the arms, making them shine like rubies. The abnormally pale skin added to the surreal quality of the scene as they waved about independently of each other, grasping for something that wasn't quite there.

The arms ghosted forward, hands opening and closing frantically on thin air. With a sudden surge, they sprung forwards towards the nearest building and began tearing into the mortar with frenzied intensity. A section of the sidewalk was crushed as a slab of brick crashed down onto the already cracked cement.

As the dust from the cement settled, the frenzied tearing stopped. For a few seconds, the arms were still. Then, searching for a more satisfying source to vent its frustrations upon, the six-armed creature floated onwards.

---

Technically, it was a new day in all three worlds. A perfect way to make a fresh start. However, Koenma's troubles were still far from over.

For the last few hours he had been frantically going through the piles of backed up paper work in an attempt to get caught up. He had made a significant dent in the stack of files, but it still meant he was behind on the actual soul processing itself. Due to the delay, he had situated Itsuki into the adjoining room until the time came where the demon could pass through the gates of hell and receive his sentence. Two guards were posted outside the doors and another two below the balcony, as per regulations, in case the demon felt the need to make a hasty last minute bout for freedom. So far, he had not protested in the slightest. Koenma expected that would remain the case for the duration of his stay.

Right now, Itsuki wasn't on his list of top priorities. Not directly, anyway.

Jorge had burst into his office for the second time in (technically) as many days, bearing a report on the demon that had been sighted earlier in Mushiori City. Apparently its time of dormancy had ended and it was now rampaging around the streets, destroying buildings, cars, and anything else it could get a hold of.

He now had confirmed sightings and what made everything even more delightful was whom the demon belonged to. He didn't particularly care why Itsuki's pet was terrorizing the Human World; he only cared about getting rid of it as soon as possible. It was destroying a historical landmark and could move on to newer areas of the city at any time. There were approximately four hours until dawn in the Human World. Four short hours between the demon and the general populace of the Mushiori working class.

No doubt his current detective in that area would throw a fit about being awoken so early, but he couldn't care less. He didn't plan on being the one to deliver the news. He would leave that particular detail up to Jorge and worry about yet the other matter at hand.

The report on Itsuki's pet had not been the only thing Jorge had brought with him. It seemed Sensui had turned up after all.

The form had come through while one of the ogres had been off trying to fix a jammed printer. This was a fortunate thing as Jorge was able to snatch the paper before anyone could see it, and thus keep the secret away from Lord Enma for a little longer.

Sensui's last known location was in the forested mountains outside Mushiori City. How he had gotten there was anyone's guess, considering the last place the void existed was in the Demon World and Itsuki had turned up nowhere near that initial area. How he got there wasn't the important thing though. The important thing was to retrieve Sensui at all costs.

Koenma had summoned Ayame, her being one of the few people who knew the whole story behind what had happened with Sensui so many years ago, to help him. Though she was initially reluctant to retrieve Sensui, Koenma's faith in her proved to be well earned as she had hesitantly agreed.

Before she had left, Koenma had given her a communicator resembling a pocket compact. In uncharacteristic gentleness, he had placed it in her open palm and folded her fingers over it.

"Notify me as soon as you find him," Koenma had murmured. Ayame had nodded in confirmation.

The black haired ferrygirl had then materialized her oar and left from the balcony outside Koenma's office before anyone could get suspicious of her whereabouts.

Koenma rubbed his temples and eyed the stacks of paper work before him. With a loud exhale he grasped his stamp and began deftly wading his way through it once again.

Now all that he had left to do was wait.

---

The flight had been relatively quiet except for Hinageshi's brief attempt at conversation in which she had asked Sensui how he knew Koenma. He had responded that at one point during his life, he had worked for the junior lord of hell and had been a spirit detective. The ferrygirl had wondered aloud why she had never heard Sensui's name mentioned in any records. He had told her, quite matter of factly, that it was probably because he had attempted to destroy the Human World at one point. He suggested it might have had something in turn to do with betraying his race in an act of, sadly unsuccessful, mass genocide.

Needless to say, the rest of the trip had passed in silence.

Though Hinageshi's mind was now burning with questions to ask the former detective, she decided to stay quiet. She was probably better off _not_ knowing. Yes, that route was always safest. Didn't everyone always say that ignorance was bliss?

Behind her, Sensui let out an appreciative sigh as they broke below the cloud cover. As the white cleared from her vision, Hinageshi was able to make out the familiar yellow landscape. Below them lay the river Styx, winding its way through the cliffs and hills, and just ahead was a large wall that made up the barrier fence around the central building.

Hinageshi tilted her oar into a smooth dive, landing just outside the massive gates. As she touched down her oar vanished, causing Sensui to stumble a few steps to retain his balance. Upon their arrival, the gates had slowly cracked open allowing just enough room for their safe passage through.

"Come on," Hinageshi said, leading the way. It wouldn't do to leave him on his own, even though he no doubt knew the way based on the nature of his former job. No, this was one spirit delivery Hinageshi would see all the way through, straight to her boss's office.

Sensui could only nod and follow.


	5. Chapter Four

Faux Pas - Chapter Four

The balcony was the only bearable place in the whole building to be. It was the one location where the tense atmosphere ceased to exist and instead instilled a sense of calm.

Itsuki closed his eye and relaxed his grip on his elbows marginally. The soft breeze gusted through his hair, causing it to drift gently away from his face. He had missed this. Spending weeks in the cold darkness of the Irima cave, and then retreating to the void for so long… Wind was a welcome change.

The cool wind caressed the skin of his face, ghosting over his scar, lulling him farther into relaxation.

The relaxation was only a physical pleasure. His mind was whirling, going through all the possibilities of what could have gone wrong one by one.

More importantly, he was worried about what had happened to Shinobu.

Shinobu had entrusted him with his _soul,_ his very _being_, and the bottom line was that Itsuki had failed him.

Certainly, Itsuki deserved hell for that alone. He would do anything for Shinobu, and if spending an eternity of endless suffering could get Shinobu the peace he wanted, he would accept it. The human fascinated him to no end; he had an air about him that drew Itsuki near.

In the beginning, he had been satisfied with watching Shinobu at a distance. A spirit detective at such a young age, and so capable of handling himself! He had never known a creature, human or demon, which contained that much power so early on in life. So fascinated was he, that watching had no longer been an option. He had gotten closer, and ultimately drew Shinobu's attention to him. Though, in the beginning, it had not been in a good way.

It still amazed him that he had survived his first direct encounter with the human. Shinobu possessed a strong interior boldness, and though his own personal barriers surrounded him, he was truly compassionate deep down. Itsuki had learned this both from watching him and then after their initial conversation by the fireside. But along with that compassion was uncertainty. The world was a thing that the human viewed in black and white terms, and there was no room for shades of grey.

Unfortunately, there were indeed shades of grey. It was a pity Shinobu had so much faith in his own species that when he learned the truth of their nature it destroyed him. If only the boy had understood that both humans and demons had equal qualities in good and evil, he may have remained the pure, innocent, _whole_, person he once was.

Itsuki sighed softly. He had been curious as to what would happen as his human companion slowly crumbled to pieces in front of his very eyes. Despite his faith in Shinobu, he had never expected the boy to grow stronger both in his resolve and power. Still, he had paid for it with his mind. Itsuki himself had stood steadfastly by his side, willing to aid him unselfishly and allow Shinobu to reach his fullest potential. It had become close to an obsession. Despite others opinions concerning his motives, he had done everything only to help Shinobu find what he wanted to make him happy. In the end, that had been death.

Which led to the present situation.

The demon had contained no illusions that he would live forever. He knew back when he had first entered the void with Shinobu's corpse that he would eventually die from some cause or another. It had just happened much sooner than he had expected.

The master of the void was never intended to become one of its residents. Too many years confined in the cold darkness, alone but for a wondering spirit that paid him no mind, had taken a toll on his mental health. Isolation was not something he was accustomed to. He craved the company of others, even if it was just observing them from a distance. His original longing for a companion was what had brought him and Shinobu together in the first place. In the void he would eternally be with his Shinobu, that was true.

He had just not imagined it to be so lonely.

His will to stay alive and keep watch over Shinobu's soul sustained him when starvation began to set in. He had heard stories about how some demons could survive thousands of years without eating, kept alive by will power alone. His will power had been strong, but apparently not quite strong enough.

It too had eventually begun to crumble.

The void was thought to hold things in suspended animation. Itsuki knew from experience, with the hordes of broken down buildings and skeletons, that this was not quite true. It did slow down any composition breakdowns tremendously, but it did not cease the deconstruction completely. His health was no different. The combined stress of remaining in the void and the lack of sustenance had eventually led to his demise.

Frustration began to build up within his chest. He should have foreseen the possibility of that happening and been prepared for it. He could have insured precautions somehow! Now it was too late and Shinobu would be forced to pay for his misjudgments.

Koenma may have relieved Shinobu of the charges he had obtained in an act of mental self-defense. Koenma may have been willing to pardon him, and to judge him fairly. Koenma may have genuinely wanted to help.

It was too little, too late for that. Koenma's interference was unwelcome, and above all else, it was not what Shinobu had wanted.

To be free from the Spirit World. To be free from judgment.

Pale fingers clutched equally pale elbows, biting into the flesh. It flushed an angry red. A shiver coursed through Itsuki's body. He could not let that happen. No matter the cost, he would find some way to give Shinobu's soul the peace it desired.

Resolved, the internal battle ceased momentarily. He would delve into deeper plans briefly, but for now he would indulge in this one, remaining, small pleasure.

Itsuki went back to enjoying the breeze, this time inside and out. It did not last long.

The door to the room swung open. Itsuki did not have to open his eye to know it was Koenma. Coming to harass him a little bit more before he went to hell, he supposed. Just his style. Idealistic to the end.

"I thought you should know I've located something that may be of interest to you," Koenma said from behind him. Itsuki chose to remain quiet rather than encourage the demi-god. With any luck, he might lose interest and let him be.

Or not.

"It seems your six armed shadow demon is gallivanting around the Human World, destroying anything it can get its hands on. I'd like to believe you were above pulling retaliatory stunts, but I suppose where Sensui is concerned logic fails you. All you've succeeded in doing is having it exterminated." Itsuki's eye shot open and he whirled towards Koenma, who was studying him critically.

"I did not put it up to anything," Itsuki hissed. "If it is destroying anything, it is only confused and frightened. You cannot destroy it for something it has no control over."

"No control over." Koenma repeated. "I thought that was where you came in. It's completely _out_ of control. I can't afford to put civilians at risk; I've already dispatched my detective. It will be dead before sunrise."

Was Koenma truly so ignorant to other solutions that he would kill an innocent demon? Itsuki could feel his anger rising. If he wasn't careful, he would lose control and do something that would make the situation worse.

"It is confused," Itsuki repeated slowly. "It has been separated from its master, who has been with it since birth. Of course it is panicking. You have to let me see it. This can be resolved without any deaths."

"I can't do that," Koenma protested. "You've been tried already. I can't allow you to leave, no matter what the reason might be, especially with the alterations to your record. I have no other choice. I won't allow anyone to be harmed. I'm sorry." With a swirl of red and blue he turned his back and exited the room, slamming the door closed behind him.

Itsuki fumed. There had to be another way. If it had been anyone else, Koenma surely would have taken the time to find it. They had never had the best of relationships when he had been alive, and that had no doubt extended into his death as well. He simply could not forgive the irreversible damage Koenma had done to Shinobu, and certainly Koenma resented Itsuki for taking his dear detective from him. He could see it, barely masked, in the demi-god's eyes when he looked at him.

He would not stand by idly and accept the situation. There was too much at stake.

There were two things that should never have been challenged in the presence of Itsuki, and those were Shinobu and his pets. With the well being of both in jeopardy, he turned his back on the interior of the room and treaded out farther onto the balcony. Gripping the railing, he prepared to summon the Uraotoko.

---

Sensui followed Hinageshi up the winding path that lead towards the enormous Japanese style building. He had been here many times during his life, but this time was much different. He felt apprehensive, even more so than when he had infiltrated the building to steal the Black Chapter. This would be it; presumably the last time he would ever see the sky again. His future looked bleak and he planned on making the most out of the last few moments of his freedom. He may have resigned himself to his fate, but he was not yet _willing_.

The yellow sky was so different from that in the Human World, and in turn much different than the skies of the world he loved. The Demon World's sky had such an array of colors, and at that moment he would have given almost anything to be back. He would never see it again.

A brief smile touched his lips. But he _had _seen it. Fallen through it, fought below it, laid beneath it, died under it. He had the memory, and nothing could take that away. No matter how many years he spent in hell, it would not change the fact he had been to the Demon World and made his dream come true. That thought alone could keep him well.

A nervous cough alerted him that he was not alone. Sensui snapped out of his musings and looked towards the girl who had brought him here. She had stopped a few feet ahead of him and was fidgeting with the long ends of her white shirtsleeves. It seemed he had gotten a little too caught up with his thoughts…

Now that she had his attention, she began walking again. Sensui couldn't help but smile ruefully. She had been particularly quiet after he had made that off-hand comment on the oar. He hadn't really meant to scare her, but his animosity at being thrown out of the void was beginning to make itself known on whatever outlet he could get. Soon enough he would get to speak to Koenma himself. What a lovely conversation that would be.

Minutes passed as they walked further up the winding path, until at last they reached the large doors that would bare the way into the interior of the building. As they opened automatically for Hinageshi, Sensui took one last look at the outside.

_Farewell._

With a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and stepped into the office.

It was as busy as ever. An array of ogres rushed back and forth, delivering paperwork and sorting files. No one spared them so much as a glance as Hinageshi brushed past the busy aisles, leading Sensui toward Koenma's office. Sensui followed her leisurely, taking in the area that had once been so familiar to him. It had not changed much.

The hallway leading out of the main office reminded Sensui of the long corridor prisoners were led down before their execution. It certainly felt like that situation to him as well.

All too soon, they reached Koenma's office. Hinageshi raised one small hand and rapped on the door while Sensui observed her actions from behind. This was it. Koenma's voice called out from within the office and he couldn't help but start slightly. This was the man who would judge his soul, a former friend and comrade whom he

_(Kazuya)_

had betrayed and tried to destroy. Blue eyes drifted shut. The office door drifted open.

_Itsuki, why couldn't you have found me first?_

_---_

Koenma sighed. Maybe Itsuki was telling the truth; maybe he hadn't set his pet loose. He couldn't really see the logic or point behind the action. He had already made it clear that he was looking out for Sensui's interests. Of course, the demon wouldn't see it that way. He had his reason's, however skewed and misguided they might have been. Koenma could accept that.

What he couldn't accept was the evidence the facts pointed to. It was Itsuki's pet. It was loose. Itsuki was unhappy with the entire turn of events regarding Sensui's soul. What exactly did that point to? Realistically, however pointless the act may have seemed, it looked bad for the demon and his pet.

It was Koenma's duty to ensure peace between the Human and Demon Worlds and he did his best. At times he resented the job, and in the past he had sometimes treated it like a game, but now things were different. He had matured. He understood how important maintaining a balance was. If Itsuki wanted his pet destroyed to achieve that peace, then destroyed it would be. And if he was telling the truth, and the pet was merely scared…

Scared or not, he would not allow it to endanger innocent lives. It might have been harsh, but no one had said that his job was easy. It called for making difficult decisions. Not always the _right_ decisions, but the decisions that kept as many people as possible out of harms way.

It was unfortunate, but he couldn't afford to dwell.

As long as his detective took care of the shadow demon, he could focus his attention on Sensui. With any luck, Ayame had already located the former detective and she would be contacting him any minute.

The knock at the door drew his attention away from the possible scenarios that could be happening. Best case scenarios at that. He glanced up from his folded hands which, he noted with a trace of amusement, he had been staring at through the course of his thoughts.

"Come in."

A small red headed girl crossed over the threshold as the door opened. He recognized her immediately as Hinageshi and wondered what possible reason she could have for being there. She was strictly a spirit guide and anything that needed his attention would come through by paper work.

Before he could voice any questions, a figure stepped out from the shadows of the hall behind Hinageshi. Anything Koenma wanted to say died as his voice caught in his throat. As recognition dawned on him, he could feel his eyes widen in a way that would have no doubt been comical to an onlooker.

Nothing about the situation seemed funny, however.

For a few long moments no one spoke. Koenma struggled to find his voice, having to work hard to get it past the lump that had formed in his throat. He lurched to his feet, stepping out from behind the desk. At last, a single word escaped him.

"Shinobu…"


	6. Chapter Five

Faux Pas – Chapter Five

"Shinobu..."

His clothes still bore the evidence of his final battle. He looked as he had when he died, just less… serene. Though Koenma could tell he was trying to put on an air of indifference, it wasn't working. The way his shoulders were slightly hunched, how he almost seemed to spring on the balls of his feet as he walked forward... Koenma had not watched Sensui serve as a spirit detective for years without being able to pick up at least some of his moods. He was tense. His posture gave away his underlyingdefensiveness. And why not? He was in the last place he ever wanted to be.

For an instant, Koenma felt a pang of regret. This man was his old friend. Why had it come to this?

Sensui raised his eyes but remained silent. The blue orbs lacked their previous luster. There was no raving madness, no desperate need, no vibrant life. They were dull. Koenma's jaw worked and he turned on Hinageshi. He did not need an audience for the discussion he was about to have.

"Thank you, Hinageshi. That will be all." The finality in his tone bore no room for protest. It was a clear dismissal. The girl's eyes widened and she dashed out of the room, throwing one last glance over her shoulder at Sensui. The door shut firmly behind her.

Silence settled over the room like a thick cloud. Sensui continued to stare at Koenma, eyes unreadable. Koenma himself could only stare back. Now that the time had come, he found he could not form the words to express himself. His tongue snaked out and wet his lips nervously.

Sensui shattered the silence. "Why am I here?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Koenma said. It had been so long since he had heard his former detective speak without words laced with hatred. He rubbed his fingers together. He was uncomfortable. But why? This was what he had wanted, hoped for. A chance at redemption for his past mistakes.

"I don't know," Sensui replied.

Did he chance telling him about Itsuki? No, not yet. He wanted, no… _needed_, Sensui's undivided attention. "It seems that the void collapsed," he said slowly. "Your soul was most likely expelled in the process."

"I thought that was impossible," Sensui mused. "The void is supposed to be indestructible." His posture had yet to change.

Now that they had started talking, Koenma found he was eager to move on. However, he believed Sensui deserved some answers first. Answers that had come, in part, from Itsuki. Answers that he inexplicably wanted Sensui to hear come from _him_ instead.

"To all known knowledge, it is indestructible. Apparently it is possible for it to collapse temporarily while switching spiritual planes."

The deeper meaning behind the words was, at least temporarily, lost on the man. A soft sigh escaped Sensui's lips and his eyes lowered. "So I was dropped out for you to find. You must be ecstatic. It seems you'll have the last move in our game after all." Koenma was relived that Sensui had not asked why the void had switched planes. Itsuki would come later. All that mattered now was him and Sensui. He had to lead the conversation away now, while he had the chance.

Otherwise, he could lose it forever.

"I am." Koenma drifted closer. "Just not for the reasons you're thinking."

Sensui looked up warily, yet he stayed where he was. That was always a good sign.

"You think I want to judge you. You think you're going to hell for the sins of your past. You think wrong." He was now directly in front of the taller man. The height difference made him cock his head back slightly but there was no need to be intimidated. He was in control. Regretfully, he wondered exactly why it had become a battle for control in the first place. A struggle to gain the upper hand in a dangerous game. All because of an irreversible mistake and a shattered friendship. "I wanted you here because I needed to speak with you. I failed you, Shinobu."

Sensui's jaw clenched tightly, making the chords in his neck stand out. He opened his mouth to speak but Koenma interrupted.

"I should never have sent you on that mission." There was no doubt on what _that_ mission had been. "I should have sent Kuroko. I never wanted you to see what happened there. I am truly sorry that it has caused you such anguish. As your boss, it was my job to protect you. As your friend, it was my job to be there for you. I did neither. Please, Shinobu, forgive me. I have wronged you terribly."

For a moment, Sensui was silent. Slowly, he relaxed. His jaw unclenched, his shoulders smoothed out, and his feet planted firmly on the floor. Calmly, collectedly, he spoke a single word.

"No."

Inside, Koenma felt his stomach clench. It was not unexpected, and certainly not unwarranted. Still, it filled him with some horrible, unspeakable, pain. He wet his lips once again. "I understand."

"No," Sensui repeated. "I don't think you do." Koenma half expected Sensui to lash out, venting his frustrations upon him. It was what he deserved. He steeled himself for the punch that would inevitably come.

All that pressed against his skin, breaking against it, was air. Sensui had not moved.

"I would have found out eventually," Sensui said, unexpectedly. "Humans are evil creatures at heart. Their true nature reveals itself at some point in time. It just so happened that certain events solidified that knowledge for me. In a way, I must thank you. You showed me the truth. It hurt, but at least I had a true enemy to fight against, something I knew without a doubt in my heart was true."

Koenma felt sick. He did not want to hear any more. This was not how it was supposed to happen.

"Why you continue to protect them, I do not understand. Some have admirable qualities, yes, but how long until those qualities give way to their true malicious intentions? How long can they honestly claim purity?"

"Enough," Koenma whispered. "You're wrong."

"Am I?" Sensui asked. "You and I were friends once. I turned on you. I showed my malicious side. I tried to destroy my own kind. Before that, I killed innocents. Do you understand, Koenma? I killed them!" The former detective's voice was rising. "Demons you sent me to destroy, and why? Because they had violated the rules and stumbled, maybe accidentally, into the Human World? Is that your definition of justice; slaughtering innocents?"

"You're wrong," Koenma repeated. It came out as a hiss. "They were thieves, murderers, some even preyed upon the flesh of man. What I sent you to apprehend were not innocents, they were monsters!"

"Was Itsuki a monster?" Sensui snapped. Koenma flinched. _Was_ Itsuki a monster? He had to wonder. When it concerned Sensui, he could be ruthless. But overall? He forced his attention back to Sensui. At the man's side, his hand clenched into a fist. Nails bit into the flesh breaking the skin, causing a thin rivulet of blood to seep out between the thumb and forefinger. Koenma tracked it with a sense of fascination. Wherever Sensui went, there always seemed to be

_(so much blood)_

blood spilt.

"Perhaps," Koenma murmured, distracted. Drops of blood were descending to the floor, marring the pale blue tiles. Tainting it, like Sensui's life had been tainted. Like his _mind_ had been tainted.

Sensui snorted. "You would think that, wouldn't you? Why, because he got the best of you? If anyone were the monster, it would be me. I asked him to take my soul. He did it for me."

The situation was beginning to spin out of his control. It was not yet irreversible, but if he did not act soon then there would not be anything left to grasp a hold of.

"This is not about Itsuki. This is about you." Taking a chance, Koenma reached out and took Sensui's hand. The other man flinched as Koenma gently pried open his fist, pulling his fingers away from his palm. Once that was done, Koenma closed the bloody hand between both of his own. He raised his eyes once again to Sensui's.

"I would never have knowingly asked you to kill innocents. There are evil demons, just as there are evil humans. It's not fair to classify the entire species as evil just because of a few twisted individuals. You killed the evil demons to protect those humans that were innocents; that were pure at heart. You defended them when they had no chance to defend themselves. What you did was noble."

"What I did was savage," Sensui whispered. He did not, however, pull back his hand.

"You did what you had to." Carefully, taking caution not the scare the other man off, Koenma rubbed his thumb gently against Sensui's knuckles. A gesture of comfort, or so he told himself. Deep down, he wondered. "I only wish you could understand that good and evil are not black and white terms. They are not set in stone."

"But the past is." Blue eyes looked down and studied their joined hands. Without looking up, Sensui stated rather than asked, "I'm going to hell."

"No." The words were spoken simply, leaving no room for doubt.

Sensui's eyes raised. "Why?"

"It's been arranged for a scapegoat. You are free of all past charges."

"Why?" This time his voice was filled with disbelief.

"You were… no… you **are** my friend. It was my fault. I need to make this right." He had almost added please, but his pride got the best of him. Instead he added in a whisper, "Let me make this right."

Sensui drew back abruptly, disengaging their hands. He backed up a few steps, then began a slow pace in front of the desk. "Your father-"

"Will never know."

Koenma had expected relief. He should have known Sensui never did as predicted. He seemed distraught and the junior lord of hell was pretty sure he knew the reason why. He had gone through with all his plans in order to die, to be free. Away from the battle of good and evil, away from the world which was cruel to him, away from judgment. Koenma was now willing to give that to him, as though it were nothing.

"What happens now?" Sensui stopped pacing abruptly, standing between Koenma and his desk.

"What do you _want_ to happen?" Koenma asked gently.

The blue eyes were suddenly filled with emotion. When Sensui spoke, his words were laced with defeat. Koenma could almost feel the internal pain radiating off of his body.

"I want to rest."

"Then you will," Koenma said simply. The plan on how that could be achieved was already forming in his mind. The hard part would be keeping it concealed from his father. He was determined to do so; after all, he owed the other man. Koenma was to blame and Sensui had been under the influence of insanity.

_Are you so sure?_ a small voice in his mind whispered. _Or are you only making up excuses in hopes of salvaging something that was lost a long time ago?_

_This is no excuse, _he argued with himself. _This is fact._

_Is it?_ The voice trailed off.

He was drawn from his thoughts as he sensed Sensui's penetrating stare. Once his attention was caught, the former detective spoke.

"I don't want to be in your debt. I have nothing to offer."

"You won't be, and I don't ask anything in return. The past will be laid to rest today, old friend," Koenma spoke with an air of practiced patience.

Sensui was silent, undoubtedly deep in thought. At last, he questioned, "Can I go back to the void?"

Koenma hesitated. Was it possible? He hadn't even thought to ask Itsuki. More so, did he _want_ it to be possible? If it was what Sensui wanted, then he would allow it. He wouldn't be happy about it, but he would accept the man's decision. Still, he'd much rather take care of Sensui's soul himself, and see to it that things really were made as close to right as possible. If it were left in his hands, then he could rest easy. There would be no doubt and no worry, because he would ensure Sensui's happiness and safety. It was something he had failed him in this life, but would not fail in again.

"I don't know if that would be possible. You can, however, be put up for reincarnation. That way I can arrange for you to remain in limbo until your time of rebirth. You will have at least a few hundred years of the rest you desire. You will also not encounter any other souls, and when you are reborn, you will not remember anything from this life."

Tattered sweater clad shoulders slumped. "Very well," Sensui replied at last.

Koenma wondered about Sensui's current sense of defeat. Why should the other man feel as though he had not gained out of this? The result would have been hell. Surely, he could not really prefer _that_ over the offer Koenma had made... could he? No, the demi-god argued, this was the best solution. This way Sensui would be able to start over again. He could live the life he should have led. There would be no Spirit World involvement the next time around; there would be no killing, no constant battles or struggle for survival. There would be peace.

"You're displeased," Koenma mused. He was curious.

Sensui made a vague attempt to shrug. "I just wish I could have remained in the void. I had my peace there."

"You shall have it again."

"Maybe." Sensui massaged his injured palm gently. "But why did it even switch planes in the first place?"

Before Koenma could reply, a large tremor shook the room. Sensui was sent stumbling back against the desk while Koenma was thrown to the floor. Loud cries could be heard from out in the office area. Another tremor washed over the building and the light fixtures swayed dangerously.

Koenma jerked himself to his feet, stumbling towards the room's exit. Sensui lay against the desk, momentarily dazed, as Koenma thrust open the door of his office. He turned to call over his shoulder, even as he walked briskly out.

"Wait here!"

The sense of unease that had started with the strong vibrations of the building was giving way to something else. Koenma slammed the door shut and strode quickly towards the adjacent room. The Spirit World was not subject to natural disasters such as earthquakes. There was only one logical explanation behind what was causing the tremors. Some how, some way, it was undoubtedly the result of one individual.

_Itsuki!_


	7. Chapter Six

Faux Pas – Chapter Six

Itsuki pushed himself back from the railing, cautious of any attacks the Special Defense Team might have decided to toss his way. He hoped they were currently in such a state of confusion and disarray that he would not even drift into their thoughts.

Exhausted, he fell against the wall just inside the room. He raised his right hand to cup his forehead. With a detached sort of interest, he noticed his arm was shaking badly.

It had taken all of his energy to bring forth the Uraotoko. At first, he had been worried about the previous damage done to the demon. Who really knew the extent of its injuries? Still, he reasoned, if he were dead the Uraotoko would be dead too. What happened to one happened to the other. After all, their shared pain and injuries were what led to Itsuki's initial downfall at the hands of Kuwabara and his dimensional sword. Unlike his six-armed demon, the Uraotoko was joined to him, could even be considered a _part_ of him.

The summoning had been difficult. In his current state, Itsuki found it tremendously hard to focus his energy to call the demon. Eventually, his plea had gotten through. Slowly, the vaguely human outline had begun to form under the balcony. The members of the Special Defense Team had been too preoccupied with their conversation to notice.

Eyes had blinked into existence and focused on their counterpart. Itsuki had let out a tired smile and nodded to the creature in greeting. He had conveyed through his mind what he wished to do. Feeding the demon the last of his energy, it had begun to grow.

The room had been subjected to tremors as the structural supports of the building were shaken. Itsuki had not needed to look over the edge of the balcony to know that the entirety of the building now rested upon pale pink lips. At any moment, they could open and swallow the building into oblivion.

His task completed temporarily, he took a series of deep breaths. The shaking was beginning to subside though the fatigue still weighed heavily upon him.

Outside, he could hear the Special Defense Team members attacking the Uraotoko. Of course, it would do them no good. The creature could not be harmed directly from the outside. No, it's other half would have to be targeted, and targeted from the inside. Unless someone flew through the balcony doors and decapitated him, Itsuki figured there was a very small chance the Uraotoko would withstand any damage. Let them shoot at the creature all day, if that would make them happy. He could feel the shadow demon's own amusement at the situation pressing in on the back of his mind. In response he gave a small mental smile.

At least someone was enjoying itself.

Angry shouting drifted in from behind the closed door. So, Koenma had already figured it out, had he? Good. That made his job a little easier. He could get this over with quickly, and perhaps bargain for Shinobu's soul before the man had a chance to really gather what was happening. Or so he hoped.

There was a loud crash as the door flew open, banging into the wall and chipping the material. Koenma entered, fists clenched, flanked by two members of the Special Defense Team. The demi-god's eyes were narrowed in anger.

"What do you think you're doing?" Koenma asked quietly, while briskly striding closer.

"Bargaining," Itsuki muttered. He could not be bothered to lift his head any further. It would take too much effort.

"Bargaining," Koenma repeated, in a state of disbelief. "You can't be serious. You are in no position to be bargaining for anything."

The world blurred at the edges and his golden eye blinked slowly, forcing the room back into focus. Maybe Koenma was right. Physically he did not have the strength to do anything, but that was no longer necessary due to the entrance of the Uraotoko.

"I beg to differ… _little death_. I am in the perfect position to bargain, for I have nothing left to lose. Though you may find yourself in quite a humiliating situation if I do not get my way."

Koenma's face contorted slightly as the words washed over him. His normally fair coloring took on a distinctly reddish tinge and Itsuki could not help but feel a twinge of satisfaction at upsetting the other man so. It was no less than he deserved for interfering where he was not wanted.

"Itsuki… there's no reason to do this." Koenma's voice was strained. "All you're doing is making this harder on yourself. If you had cooperated with me in the beginning, then-"

"I would not cooperate with anyone who deems to go against Shinobu's wishes. You must realize this by now."

"I understand how you feel but this isn't the way to deal with it!" Koenma protested.

"You understand nothing," Itsuki hissed. "You were isolated here, cut off and ignorant of the internal torment Shinobu was going through; torment that you yourself are the initiator of. You were not the one who stood beside him, watching his downfall, being helpless to stop it or prevent it. You were not the one who would do anything for him, even if that meant allowing him to die, for the simple reason that it was **his wish**. You were not the one who made him a promise, only to have it compromised by a man who is unwilling to accept how the story played out. It has already ended, so let it end as it should, not as how you would envision it!" By the last sentence, his voice had risen to nearly a shout and his breathing was coming in uneven gasps. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to regain his composure. He had a task to accomplish, and above all else, he had to remain focused.

Koenma seemed to have no good reply to that. His mouth worked but no words emerged. The larger of the two Special Defense Team members spoke up.

"We can take him directly to the Gates of Hell, Lord Koenma. I'm sure this one exception of the rules can be easily dealt with at a later time."

Both members had already started forward before any reply could be made. However, it was Itsuki rather than Koenma to address them first.

"If you touch me, you will spend eternity in your _own_ private hell," Itsuki stated calmly.

"Quiet, demon," the shorter man snapped. "What could _you_ possibly do? You aren't even an S class, and yet you dare try to challenge us?" As he reached out to grab Itsuki, the room shook once more.

"Do not test me," Itsuki whispered. The man's hand stopped, hovering hesitantly before his shoulder. The demon paid it no heed. He slowly raised his head the barest of inches and observed Koenma. His eyes had grown hard, and Itsuki could see that underlying them was a sense of calculated understanding.

Good.

"Stand down!" Koenma barked. A range of emotions played across his face as the two men reluctantly stepped back. Humiliation, anger, defeat. Finally, a large scowl settled over his face like a dropped curtain.

"What did you do?" Koenma asked.

"Look out the balcony," Itsuki replied, tiredly.

Tearing his gaze away, Koenma walked past Itsuki's slumped form. The exhausted demon did not bother to track his progress; he could tell when Koenma saw the Uraotoko by the sudden curse.

The demi-god returned to his line of vision. Whatever the junior lord of hell was feeling was now carefully concealed. His jaw was set, but that was the only outward sign that anything was wrong. It did not take a genius to figure out he was nearing the end of his rope, however.

It really was too bad Itsuki was already dead… Otherwise, he would have suspected his death to be imminent.

"What do you want?" Deadpan, straight to the point.

"I want my pet returned safely to the Demon World. I can get it back without any casualties. It will listen to me." Koenma gave a little snort. It was also possible that the sound was mocking him, of his inability to leave the Spirit World and accomplish the task in the first place.

"I also want Shinobu. I want him brought to me so I can return him to the void. I warned you not to interfere with him."

Itsuki noticed the small tremor that traveled through Koenma's fist. He wondered vaguely if this would be the final undoing to his anger. If the idea crossed Koenma's mind, he managed to repress it. Instead, the demi-god merely sighed.

"What if he doesn't turn up? What if he never even left the void? Will you hold this place and it's residents hostage for all eternity, for something that can never be attained?"

"If that is what it takes to keep him from you," Itsuki replied. "If he is out there, I have no doubt you will find him. You would do anything to absolve yourself, no matter how many strings you must pull."

Koenma turned to the members of the Special Defense Team, who had remained quiet if not fidgety during the exchange. "Leave." They hesitated but a heartbeat and Koenma raised his voice. "I said to leave. **_Now_**!" To think, so long ago, these men had gone against Koenma's orders and even dared to strike him. To do so would be unthinkable now; there was no doubt that Koenma had grown some resemblance of a spine. Still, Itsuki mused as the men hurriedly left the room, he was a child at heart. Only a child could cling so desperately to something that had no hope of being realized. That had not changed.

Koenma's attention returned to Itsuki. "You understand that what you've just done is directly threatening the Spirit World itself. Do you have any idea of the type of punishment that comes along with such an offense?"

"I am aware of what I am doing," Itsuki told him. "You can do to me what you see fit as soon as Shinobu is returned to where he belongs." Koenma's jaw clenched tighter and Itsuki wondered if it was possible to snap it by the sheer force of teeth on teeth. It would be an interesting thing to see.

"The inner circle of Hell is a horrible place. You can't even begin to understand. Stop this madness now, while there's still time."

Itsuki closed his eye briefly. No doubt he really could not understand the horrors Hell had to offer. But he would not give in. Not until Shinobu's soul was at peace.

"I will not."

"Then you will regret this," Koenma whispered, reaching into his robes. When he withdrew his hand, a slender compact was clenched tightly inside his fist. "I promise you that."

Koenma's words were clear and resolute. In that moment, Itsuki knew he spoke the truth.

---

Unfortunately, Ayame had had the pleasure of being around during the whole Sensui incident and was therefore the most obvious candidate for a secret retrieval mission. She had never met the man personally, though she distinctly remembered Kuroko talking about him. The young woman had been disturbed after her brief encounter with the other detective and had confided to the ferrygirl.

"_There's something about his eyes." Kuroko had been sitting on her bed running a hand through her short hair, working out the twigs that had been caught in it during the evening's assignment_

"What do you mean?" Ayame had asked. Rarely did things disturb the female spirit detective enough for her to discuss it openly with her guide.

"_There's just something in them… like he's a natural born killer. It's as though he has never felt an ounce of regret for any of the lives he has taken. The way he moves… it's predatory."_

He had turned out to be a predator, hadn't he? Killing all those demons and then switching his target to humans. The sheer lunacy of it made her glad she was dead. It did not make for looking forward to fetching Sensui, however.

That worry had been temporarily shoved to the back of her mind. She had bigger things to deal with.

Ayame was in a world full of trouble. Though she had been working for the Spirit World the longest out of the ferrygirls, her forte was in researching or assisting the detectives and Koenma. Physical combat was not one of her strong points. She might have had significant experience in the department of fights, but she was not used to being a part of them directly.

Still, she was going to need everything she had learned in the past.

Now, what had started out as a somewhat out of the ordinary retrieval mission for Koenma had turned into a close encounter of the violent kind. She had been en route to Sensui's last known position when she noticed the commotion in the city below. Normally, once she had a set mission she would not be deterred by anything. However, the strong presence of spiritual energy had led her to believe there was a demon down there. A nasty one by the sound of it.

The stars were at the brink of fading as dawn approached. It might be close, but Ayame had been fairly confident she could locate the demon before the city began the start of its day. Taking care of it would be another matter entirely.

Her oar dropped below the tops of the buildings and she spun towards the noise. It was coming from the opposite side of the street, somewhere below her. As the dimming moonlight sprinkled the area with light, she caught sight of pale arms smashing into the side of a rather dilapidated building.

Ayame was taken aback. It was like no other demon she had ever seen. No face or body existed, just arms. Despite the lack of any sensory inputs, it rotated itself towards her. It knew she was there.

Before she could react, the air shimmered and it disappeared. Its spiritual energy remained.

Blue eyes traced the air for her hidden opponent. Now that she was lower, she could see other various sites of destruction. In places the road jettisoned up from deep cracks, looking like some strange rock formation formed as a result of an earthquake. For all she knew, that may have been close to the truth; maybe the demon was capable of physically manipulating the ground. The brick walls of an alleyway had been pulverized; all that remained were an assorted collection of broken stones. The demon was dangerous, all right.

Above her came the sudden whoosh of air and she was engulfed by a rapidly expanding shadow.. She looked up just in time to see the large slab of what had been part of a building descend towards her.

---

Sensui pushed himself up from the desk and swayed dangerously as another tremor rocked the room. It subsided and he cautiously loosened his grip on the polished wood. His mind was racing.

Noble, savage, old friend, old enemy, hell, peace, scapegoat, limbo, earthquake.

What was going _on_?

Koenma had told him to stay put. He was tired of running; he would not try to escape. Still, something strange was happening. He walked towards the balcony doors and looked outside.

At first, all he could see was the pale yellow expanse that trailed off and disappeared past the horizon. He noted there was something just a tad off. Everything seemed... darker. The Spirit World was not subjected to the fluctuations of night and day like the other two worlds, so why the sudden darkness? The clouds were relatively scarce and by no means capable of causing such a shadow. He focused harder.

There, a patch of light. He frowned in concentration and studied the

(eye)

strange formation. The outer circle of it shifted and it blinked.

His breath caught in his throat. He scanned the ground and noted the other eye some distance away. Both pale irises stared unseeingly up at the sky. Just barely, he made out the outline of the human shaped head and shoulders. The creature was distinguishable as only one thing.

The Uraotoko? But that would mean…

Itsuki is here. Itsuki is **here**.

Sensui turned to stare at the door. Had Koenma known? He berated himself for not asking about Itsuki while he had the chance. The demon had been far from his mind during the conversation, so focused was he on himself and his own dilemma. He had assumed Itsuki was safely stowed away in the void.

Perhaps he had been wrong.

The former spirit detective wasted no more time. He ran to the door. If Itsuki were there, he needed to find him.

---

There was no time to dodge. Ayame closed her eyes and focused all of her spiritual energy. A slight displacement of air and matter later, she had fazed right through the hurling projectile.

There was a large crash as the slab of building careened into the road. Dust rose in a cloud, blanketing the deformed asphalt.

Ayame's chest rose and fell rapidly as her heart pounded. A shiver coursed through her body as she realized just how very close that had been. At the same time, her inner voice was screaming at her to focus; if she was going to have any chance of defeating this demon she needed to be on her guard at all times.

The arms resided about thirty feet above her, writhing angrily in the air. The fists opened and clenched, and she envisioned those muscular hands closing around her body, squeezing, crushing, twisting…

_Focus_, her brain reminded.

She focused all right. Focused right on the arms as they swooped down, straight at her head. Raising her spiritual energy, the oar lunged forward moving her out of harms way. The disembodied arms crashed harmlessly into the wall. Harmless if one did not count the complete destruction of the buildings structural supports.

Ayame may have had the advantage of defense in the air, but for how long? She could not continue dodging forever. Her only chance was to lead the demon away from the city or to take the fight to ground level. At least there she would have some semblance of a chance. If it came down to it, she would need to switch to offensive maneuvers. In her current position, it would be difficult. The demon needed to be handled, and it needed to be handled fast. Already, the sky was beginning to lighten.

Her sleek black ponytail flipped in the air as she dodged another attack. The fight _needed _to be taken to the ground, away from the soon-to-be-busy city sector. Someone else would have to worry about covering up the path of destruction; her only concern was the humans that could potentially be harmed. With that in mind, she tilted her oar into a steep dive. The ferrygirl flew down the deserted street, glancing over her shoulder in hopes the demon was following her.

It was. Alarmingly fast.

Ayame smiled grimly. Now, if she could just lead it into the suburbs, she should be fine.

A small beeping sound emitted from the pocket of her robe. She was so startled she nearly flipped out of control. One hand clenched tightly around the oar shaft and the other searched her pocket for the compact communicator. With fingers trembling from the effort of going breakneck speeds one handedly she flipped it open.

"Ayame," Koenma's voice resonated from the device and he stared at her from the screen. Even with her attention distracted by her current situation, she could tell he was angry. She had been his friend for over a millennium. She had not spent all that time with him and not picked up on how to read his body language.

"There's been a slight change of plans. I need to you to retrieve a demon," he continued, oblivious to the demon chasing her. Ayame dodged her oar around a sharp corner and heard the demon plough through a street lamp that had innocently been occupying said corner. Koenma frowned at the sound. "What's going on?"

"I'm a bit busy," she panted. Her eyes darted to the side, spotting the demon gaining fast. She upped her spiritual power slightly. She would be lucky if the drain did not knock her out.

"Define busy," Koenma demanded.

Before she could reply, her oar jerked to a halt. Ayame spun wildly as one set of arms grabbed the tail end of the oar, intending to drag it backwards, and her along with it. Without thinking, she dislodged herself and dropped the fifteen feet to the ground. Fazing was out of the question. Her blue eyes clenched shut in preparation for the impact.

As she hit the pavement, the compact flew from her hand. She could hear Koenma's concerned shout but it was distant to her ears. A fiery agony exploded in her back and she arched upwards in pain. Her mouth opened in a silent cry but Ayame did not scream. Her black hair tumbled free from its bind and spread about her head in a dark halo. She was still.

For few moments, there was hardly a sound. Only the distant noise of the monorail, continuing it's lonely trek along the ancient track, broke the still quiet of early morning. Then, it was shattered.

Shrapnel from her broken oar fell around her unmoving frame. Slowly, ever so slowly, her eyes drifted open.

Above her, the arms waved. Pale fists clenched and unclenched. Clenched, unclenched. Abruptly, they headed for a telephone pole.

Ayame's eyes widened and she forced herself into a sitting position. There was another burst of pain in her back but she ignored it, scrambling to her feet. The stars were completely gone now; there was not much time left.

As the demon struggled to dislodge the pole from its cement casing, she rushed to the compact. Koenma's golden brown eyes were wide as she came into view and his mouth froze in the act of yelling her name.

"Are you alright? What's happening?"

A quick glance at the demon told her she had enough time to relay her situation. It was quite preoccupied with its potential weapon. Still… Ayame started down the street at as fast a run as she could manage, talking as she went.

"I ran into a bit of trouble while looking for Sensui," she said wryly. There was an understatement, she thought to herself. "There's a demon here in the city. If it stays much longer, it will level both the buildings and the people."

Koenma's lips drew back and there was a sudden darkening in his eyes. She was startled. Even in all her years working for him, she had never seen such an expression displayed so openly on his face. Of course she had seen him angry before… but this was somehow deeper. _Darker_. Could it be the Sensui situation?

"Only confused…" he murmured quietly. Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. The demi-god's attention snapped back to her. "Jorge should have dispatched my detective; he should be on his way to help. Will you be alright until then?"

"I hope so." Ayame had turned a corner but the tearing noise of the cement as it finally gave alerted her to the fact she would soon have company.

"I need you to do something for me, Ayame." The hesitancy mixed with urgency in his voice made her pause. "The demon needs to be detained unharmed. I need it returned to the Demon World."

"Wha-" A loud crash from behind her. Didn't that thing ever give up?

The pole whizzed over her head and she ducked, shielding herself with her arms. How was she suppose to detain the thing when it still had the aerial advantage? Add to that it was seemingly out for blood and she had herself a pretty difficult situation. Not to say it wasn't difficult to begin with.

The demon came at her and Ayame stiffened. Though she may not have been strong or particularly skilled in fighting, she could only take so much. She had had enough.

Quickly ripping a slit up the leg of her robe for better mobility, Ayame ran forward to meet the arms. Before they could grasp her she jumped, ignoring Koenma's startled shout, launching a kick at the area where the torso should have been. Her foot met with what felt like solid

(air)

flesh and the arms jerked. Not giving it the chance to overcome its temporary surprise, she used her momentum to throw her other leg forward and connect with its invisible side. The arms shivered and she dropped back to the pavement.

Unfortunately, other than the few seconds of surprise, the kicks seemed to have little effect. The demon advanced once more. This time, she did not react fast enough; her neck was clasped between two of the strong hands.

Panic encompassed her as she was lifted off the ground. Ayame struggled, kicking at the air between the arms as she groped one handedly at her neck. She could feel her eyes beginning to bulge from the pressure and her lungs beginning to burn from the lack of oxygen.

"Stop!" an unfamiliar voice called out. The arms stiffened. Ayame looked around through the haze that had settled over her vision and her eyes rested on the compact. Throughout everything, she had managed to maintain her grasp and it was still clenched in her hand. Koenma was gone, replaced by a pale, green haired man. His golden eye darted towards her, then back to the demon. "Enough," he stated calmly.

Abruptly, the demon released her and snatched at the compact. Ayame tumbled backwards in surprise, gasping. Air! Taking in a deep mouthful of precious oxygen, she scrambled backwards in a crabwalk. She could only stare as one of the strangest things she had ever witnessed took place before her.

The man's low, soft voice drifted out from the compact and the demon stilled. It cradled the compact gently, seeming to listen raptly. This continued for a few minutes until the demon lowered itself to her level. Ayame could not help but flinch as it placed the compact gently in her open palm. Her attention was caught once again by the strange man, even as she kept half an eye on the demon.

"It will go with you now," the man said. He gave her a forced smile. "I am sorry that had to happen. Please do not hold anything against it, it was simply frightened." At a loss for what else to do, Ayame nodded. "Please, return it to its world safely."

Koenma replaced the man. His eyes narrowed as his gaze settled on her neck. The skin was tender and she assumed that the harsh treatment had left bruises. Not that she was complaining; she was happy to have gotten away as unscathed as she was. "Are you alright?" She gave a small nod in confirmation. Koenma let out a relieved sigh.

"Can you do that? Can you do what he asked?" Once again she nodded. The junior lord of hell's face softened. "Be careful, Ayame. I'll contact you later." He disappeared. She flipped the compact closed.

The arms floated up and down in front of her, waiting. She licked her lips. "Well, now."

A loud crunch from behind her interrupted the awkward silence. Both her and the demon whirled, coming face to face (or arm to face) with a grinning black haired teen. He smiled sheepishly, putting his hand on the back of his head and laughing.

"Caught the last of your little conversation; I guess I'm a bit late! Sorry about that."

---

Koenma closed the compact with a snap and slipped it back into his pocket. His fingers trembled. It had something to do with the direction his thoughts were headed. Something to do with how the panic was slowly, too slowly, abating. With the way his heart was still racing. With what had almost happened.

Up until the moment he had seen the bruises on Ayame's neck, he had truly believed they would be able to work things out. To talk things over. He had thought he could give Itsuki the benefit of the doubt for the simple reason that he was Sensui's partner. Despite what the demon had said, and despite what he had been clear on doing. Because there always had to be another way.

And there before him, visible through the small glass compact, had been the unquestionable evidence Itsuki was Sensui's partner and worked for his interests alone. No matter what the cost, no matter what the risk, no matter what the consequences.

Koenma's stomach dropped as the realization fully sunk in. There would be no reasoning with the demon. Now, the time for talking was over.

He felt another emotion bubbling just below the surface. It took a moment to realize what it was.

Rage.

He had never been so angry or frustrated in all his long life. Because, in so many years, he had never once felt so helpless. And, in so many long years, he had never had to witness Ayame being harmed, while he stood and watched, a world away, incapable of helping.

Anger was drowning out his common sense.

Whatever pain Ayame had felt…

Whatever fear she had experienced…

All for the sake of something that had nothing to do with her, or anyone save for a deceased, former spirit detective…

That was something he simply could not forgive.

His fingers had ceased their trembling and were now curling into a fist. He turned so that he was facing Itsuki, who was once again leaning against the wall. Seemingly lounging against it, unconcerned, as things went to hell around them. He knew that couldn't be entirely true. The demon had to have been feeling some strain from summoning the Uraotoko.

The large shadow demon's presence was yet another reminder of just how unreasonable Itsuki had become. Not only was he willing to put the lives of innocent humans at risk with his six armed demon, but he was willing to put the whole of the Spirit World in jeopardy as well. Innocent workers, oblivious bystanders, harmless ferrygirls.

"How dare you…" Koenma gritted out.

Itsuki merely looked at him impassively. That only managed to increase his anger.

"You don't even care, do you? You don't care who you put at risk. You don't care what it takes. It doesn't even matter to you! _You_ _just_ _don't_ **care**."

"I care only for Shinobu," was the demon's reply.

The sound Koenma's fist made when striking Itsuki's jaw was surprisingly satisfying. The demon's head snapped to the side, his green hair falling in a curtain around his face, shadowing any reactions from view. The room shuddered briefly in response.

The junior lord of hell rubbed his knuckles, trying to erase the dull ache that had settled in his hand. He looked at the reddened skin, almost disbelieving. He had just…

He did not regret it.

"You say I'm the selfish one," he began, voice dripping with distain. "Then what would you call what you're trying to do? You claim it's in Sensui's best interest, for his good and his alone. It's what he would have _wanted_. I think it's more for _you_ and what _you_ want. You just can't let go. So you use force, you senselessly endanger others when there's no reason, when there's no logic, when there's nothing to warrant this. I would have made sure that he was satisfied, I would have seen to it that he did get what he wanted, but you couldn't stand that either, could you?" He was shouting now, but he couldn't bring himself to calm down. It didn't once cross his mind that the Uraotoko was still beneath the building, and could at any time swallow everything merely on it's master's whim. That was all far away and unimportant.

"Because it can only be you who is allowed to care for him. In your mind, you're the only one capable. Well by doing this, you're not helping. All you're doing is guaranteeing yourself a charge of treason against the Spirit World. How do you think spending an eternity in Hell is going to help him? Do you think that's what he would want?"

For a few moments, the demon made no move. Then, slowly, he raised his head. A dark bruise was already forming on the left side of his face, standing out clearly against the pale flesh. The golden eye was narrowed dangerously, radiating defiance.

"Do not misunderstand me. Shinobu's happiness is, and what has always been, the only thing that matters. I do this for him and no one else. You cannot offer him what I can. All you have ever offered is judgment. Even if that judgment is positive, it is not what he wanted. Shinobu turned against the very act itself when he turned his back on you and all that you stood for. Judgment is your purpose, and therefore you are incapable of offering Shinobu anything. I know what he wants. I know what he needs. I can provide that. It is unimportant what happens to me in the end."

Koenma opened his mouth to tell Itsuki that he had already made his offer to Sensui. There was no longer any reason to play ignorant of Sensui's true whereabouts. He had witnessed all he needed of the demon's true motives and intensions.

Alas, fate was still working against him.

Protests were shouted from outside the room and Koenma had a sinking feeling in his stomach. His fears were confirmed as the door was shoved inwards, revealing Sensui.


	8. Chapter Seven

Faux Pas – Chapter Seven

When he saw Shinobu burst into the room, his heart clenched painfully. The man looked, overall, defeated.

Itsuki was ashamed. Seeing Shinobu so unexpectedly, in such a state of disarray, combined with the words Koenma had just spoken… it threatened to be too much.

It was true that he only wished for Shinobu's happiness, and that everything he had done had been in terms of securing that. It was regretful, what had happened to the ferrygirl, but he could not undo it. In all honesty, if Koenma had been more cooperative, then it needn't have happened in the first place. The prince was too blinded by his own pride to see that. In a way that was ever so _human_: when confronted with a situation that was beyond his control, Koenma lashed out in anger.

It wasn't so much the physical retribution that bothered him, but the verbal.

If Itsuki were honest with himself, wasn't it partially true? That he did want Shinobu with him? That he wished to protect and watch over the former detective for all eternity, to ensure his rest? That he was not completely selfless, and craved Shinobu's companionship even in death?

All he had ever wanted was to stay by his side and to see him happy.

He had been unable to make him happy in life. Death was his last chance. To fulfill both of their dreams.

But it was because of him that Shinobu was in the Spirit World in the first place. He sighed softly. At least now he could return the man to the void. Things could finally be set to rest. Soon, it would be over.

Itsuki's attention was immediately drawn to Shinobu's hand. It was flecked with blood. His golden eye narrowed and he turned to look at Koenma, who was temporarily distracted by the former detective's arrival. So Shinobu had been somewhere in the building the whole while, had he? The demon's anger rose. Koenma had no right to interfere! Had the demi-god dared to harm Shinobu?

If he had, then the Uraotoko would be swallowing the haughty prince after all. It did not matter that Koenma had (though maybe not actively) followed through with his end of the bargain. Now it was about sheer retaliation.

"I thought I told you to wait," Koenma was saying, exasperatedly.

Shinobu glanced at him, but then turned his attention back to Itsuki. The demon did not miss the way Koenma's eyes lit up with anger. Jealousy did nothing for the junior lord of hell, he decided.

"I need to talk to him alone," Shinobu said, finally turning away to face Koenma.

Koenma bristled slightly and glanced at Itsuki. The golden brown eyes narrowed. If looks could kill…

"I don't think that's the wisest idea."

"Please." Itsuki snapped his head up, ignoring the drain the simple action left on him. Why… why would Shinobu seek Koenma's permission? He hated the demi-god and everything he stood for… didn't he? "I'll talk to him. Just give us a few minutes alone. " He could feel his insides go cold. It was as though he was not even present in the room. _A few minutes_. What was it Shinobu wanted to talk with him about that would take only a few minutes? Surely, he wished to return to the safety of the void rather than be judged by Koenma. Even if Shinobu's spirit could go on to a place other than Hell, it would surely be impossible for him to get the peace he so desired.

Koenma frowned, looking at Itsuki. "Very well, Shinobu. Please keep in mind what we discussed. And be careful." Sudden anger encompassed the demon. How _dare_ he? Talking as though he would ever put Shinobu in danger. It was ludicrous.

As Koenma left, Shinobu approached him. With the distance between them lessened, Itsuki noticed something he had previously missed. There was something different about Shinobu. The way he held himself, the look in his eyes. It was not the physical and emotional drain he must surely have been undergoing, nor the tiredness Itsuki had noticed earlier. Just… something.

Something he had noticed at Shinobu's death, as well…

It clicked with sudden clarity. Bloodlust, strategic analysis, gentleness, calculating observations; the main characteristics for the other personalities were absent from Shinobu's eyes. All that remained was the essence of the man himself. The child, the innocent, the pure. His eye took this all in and he turned his face upwards to look at his companion.

Shinobu was quiet, simply watching him. He felt a bit self-conscious under the scrutiny but shrugged it aside. What did it matter, anyway? There was no reason for him to get bashful now; they were both dead.

"They are gone," Itsuki said, breaking the silence. He had no doubts that Shinobu would understand what he meant by 'they'.

"They are," Shinobu agreed. He rubbed his palm and Itsuki caught sight of the gouges. Slowly, he reached out and took the hand. Shinobu did not protest, merely continued to watch him.

"Did you do this or did he?" Itsuki did not look at the taller man's eyes but instead fixated on the reddened skin. He rubbed the area gently with his thumb.

"Me," Shinobu said mildly. He knelt swiftly on the floor, motioning for Itsuki to do the same. Thankful for the opportunity to sit, the demon sank to the floor still holding the other man's hand.

Shinobu lifted his uninjured hand and gently raised it to Itsuki's face. The demon was surprised, though he managed not to show it. It was not like the other man to be so affectionate. Tanned fingers drifted down the right side of his face, down his neck, and rested on his chest. Tracing his scar, he realized. He let go of Shinobu's hand and folded his own before him.

"How did you get this?" Shinobu asked. His finger tapped the frayed white fabric of the robe surrounding the end of the scar, in questioning.

Of course. Shinobu had not actually seen him while he lay dying. He had not been aware of the demon's injuries. He had been too caught up with his reasoning, with addressing his captive audience, with speaking to the demon descendant, to notice his partner already mourning behind him. Shinobu had been much too busy speaking to the boy who had fulfilled his wish, making him infinitely happier than Itsuki had ever been able to in life.

Here, he felt a pang of something akin to resentment, before brushing it quickly aside. All that mattered as that Shinobu had gotten what he desired.

"The dimensional sword. The boy we kidnapped used it when you killed Urameshi."

"Ah." Shinobu drew back his hand. Almost immediately, Itsuki missed the warmth from the simple contact.

Itsuki raised his head and looked into Shinobu's eyes. Again, the defeat. The words blurted from his mouth in his anguish. "I am sorry, Shinobu. I did not consider the possibility of you being expelled from the void at the time of my death. Please, forgive me."

The man was silent and Itsuki felt his insides clench once again. Nothing upset him more than the thought of Shinobu being unhappy, especially with him. How was it that one person's emotions could have such an affect on his own?

"I can return you to the void now that you are here, however," Itsuki continued. A wistful look entered those clear blue eyes. It lasted only a moment before Shinobu shook his head. Itsuki was dumbfounded. Why was Shinobu giving up what he had fought for so long to achieve?

"Why-" he began but Shinobu cut him off.

"I'm so tired, Itsuki. I just want to rest. No more running away. This life I've led, my very existence, has worn me down." The taller man studied him once more. "It looks as though it has worn you down as well, my friend." Relief mingled with the shame he felt. Shinobu still called him friend! He did not deserve the title.

"The past haunts me. If I run, I don't want you to have to carry the burden." Shinobu should not have been worrying about his needs; he had failed him! "Koenma is pardoning me. He said he found a scapegoat." Was he a scapegoat now? He supposed that was the right term. He could just imagine the smug look on Koenma's face when he had spoken those words. "I can go to limbo and rest there. You won't have to worry any more."

He wanted to tear at his hair in frustration. Shinobu was not a burden to him! If anything, it was the other way around. He wanted to be near the other man, to protect and watch over him. Could he not see that?

"I just want to rest," Shinobu repeated. He looked pleadingly at Itsuki and the demon's resolve began to crumble. Shinobu must not have wanted to entrust his soul with him anymore. He did not blame him. He had proved to be useless. Still, it hurt all the same.

"If that is what you want," Itsuki murmured. His fists clenched uselessly as he tried to fight off his hurt and frustration.

"I want to forget everything," Shinobu said. He sighed and looked down at his hands. "I want to forget how evil humans are, I want to forget what they're capable of, I want to forget how I wasted over half my life protecting them. I've had enough. I don't care anymore." More to himself, Shinobu said quietly, "I'm just so _tired_."

Itsuki let out a sigh of his own. "I would prefer if I were watching over you myself. I understand how you cannot trust me though. Whatever will make you happy, Shinobu. I will not stand in your way; I will stand by you." As he said the words, he realized they were true. He was not entirely selfless. He wanted to remain by Shinobu's side. But Koenma had been wrong. It was _not_ for his own happiness and satisfaction that he worked towards. It was **entirely** Shinobu's. Even if he did not agree with him, he would anything the other wished.

Even if, in the process, Itsuki was the one who would be hurt. Over and over and over again…

"I trust you." A ghost of a smile flitted over Shinobu's lips. "I will always trust you. You have been my most loyal friend and for that I am grateful. I can't ask anymore of you though. Already you have done so much."

Not nearly enough, the demon thought. "You know I would do anything for you." Itsuki started slightly as Shinobu's hand traced over the bruise on his jaw. The stinging had faded and had been the furthest thing from his mind. The touch, though gentle, rekindled the pain with a vengeance.

"I see that." Shinobu stroked the blemished skin once more before retracting his hand. "Koenma?"

Itsuki nodded and his companion let out a barely audible snort.

"Leaving me to go to limbo would be the wisest choice then. If you withdraw yourself from this mess now, Koenma will not be able to hold anything against you. I don't want to cause anymore strikes against you on your record."

Itsuki debated for a few moments to tell Shinobu the truth. In the end, he decided it was only fair. He just hoped the other man would be able to understand.

"I would not worry about that. I believe I am the scapegoat you referred to." He watched Shinobu's face darken and transform into an unreadable expression. Anger? Confusion? Relief? He did not know.

For a few moments all was silent. Itsuki held his breath.

"What did you do?" Shinobu asked eventually.

"I asked for your charges to be relayed to mine. There is nothing to be held against you now."

"That's not all." It wasn't a question.

Reluctantly, Itsuki nodded. "I used the Uraotoko to persuade Koenma to allow you the opportunity of returning to void. I felt it was in your best interest if you had the option to choose."

"What will happen to you?" The vehemence in which it was hissed made Itsuki want to flinch. Shinobu was so angry… _At_ him, or out of concern _for_ him?

"I will go to Hell in exchange for your peace." He met the angry blue gaze head on and spoke clearly, enunciating each word. "Anything for you, Shinobu."

"You can't." The former detective shook his head as though denying it to himself. "I won't let you. We'll just have to arrange something else with Koenma."

"I do not think it is up for negotiation," Itsuki said gently. It would be worth it, he told himself. For Shinobu's freedom and happiness, there was no price too large. He was truly touched by the other's concern. Not for the first time, he found himself wishing that things had turned out much differently. "I have made my decision, Shinobu. Please accept it."

"How can I, knowing I'm to blame? You have not done anything wrong, only tried to protect me."

Itsuki smiled at Shinobu, _his _Shinobu, and touched his cheek gently. The situation was making him bolder in his affections. What did he have left to lose? Shinobu reached up and grasped the pale hand with his own.

"You are not to blame. I am doing this of my own free will. I want you to be happy. You deserve your peace; you have been through so much. Please, do this for me. If limbo is where you need to be to attain your peace, then go. I will go to Hell no matter where you decide to be at rest. I will not run because it could negate your charges I took upon myself. Do not have regrets. I could not bear it if you were unhappy because of me. Fulfill your goal. You have worked too hard to give up now."

"Thank you," Shinobu whispered, gracing him with a rare smile of his own. He gave his hand a squeeze then let it go. Itsuki took that as a sign to remove his own hand, which he did hesitantly. In his unwillingness to retract the limb, his fingers remained and stroked the tanned skin. He wanted to commit the feel to memory. Slowly, he drew back.

If only Shinobu had been this kind to him in life. This affectionate. If only he had been able to act as equally affectionate. If only he had been able to make Shinobu happy. If only the man before him had been able to return his affections, been able to love him. If only it had never come to this. If only...

Nothing ever came from 'with only', did it?

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. It reminded Itsuki of when they had been alive, during the last few years of Shinobu's life and in the final stages of the man's elaborate plan. It seemed that until the seven had been formed, all they did was spend their time in companionable silence. No words had been needed. As always though, the silence had to end.

"What now?" Itsuki asked.

"Our saga draws to a close," Shinobu replied dryly.

He supposed it did. He closed his eye and sought out the Uraotoko. The familiar presence entered his mind and he focused his will into the creature. It understood. The room shook once as the shadow demon disappeared, then all was still.

No sooner had the tremor stopped when Koenma entered. His golden brown eyes were narrowed and he looked back and forth between the two sitting on the floor. His lip curled up slightly and Itsuki could not help but feel a small swell of pride. It would never matter how much the prince tried; he would not obtain the closeness he had once had with his detective.

"Are you two done then?" Koenma asked.

Shinobu drew himself into a standing position. He dusted himself off while Itsuki used the wall to help support himself as he rose from his place on the floor.

"I suppose so," the former detective replied.

"Have you decided to decline his offer?" Koenma spoke directly to Shinobu, ignoring Itsuki completely for the time being. The demon found he did not mind.

"I have. For his sake," Shinobu said. Here, Itsuki lowered his head slightly. He didn't know whether to be pleased or ashamed by the last half of the statement.

Koenma's eyebrows drew together in what was no doubt confusion. He did not comment on the cryptic remark. Instead, he nodded thoughtfully before continuing. He gestured towards the door. "If you could just wait outside for a minute. We need to discuss something privately." Itsuki was unfazed. Shinobu, however, tensed visibly and looked questioningly at Itsuki. The demon smiled internally and gave a small nod.

The man left the room without looking back.

Koenma wasted no time. "Ayame has just informed me that your pet has been delivered to the Demon World, safe and sound." When he made no reply, Koenma looked at him critically. "I never took you for a stupid man before, Itsuki. Loyal, but not stupid. This though…" The junior lord of hell sighed. "I won't let this slide."

"I understand." He did. Yet he still did not regret it. He had done what he felt he had to.

"Then are you prepared to go to Hell?"

"Of course," Itsuki said. He stepped away from the wall, fought a moment to keep his balance, and then crossed the distance between himself and Koenma. He stopped only inches away.

"You will give Shinobu what he desires?" Itsuki questioned. He needed to reaffirm the answer. If he got even the slightest inkling Koenma would double cross Shinobu, he would retaliate. He did not know how and he did not know where he would get the strength, but he would manage if it came to that.

"I think you know the answer to that. I respect _Shinobu _too much to use him as a pawn to get back at you for what you did. I give you my word he will get what he wants. He will get his peace. I make no such promises for you."

Itsuki felt no particular fear from that statement. "For Shinobu, it is worth it."

Koenma said nothing in reply. He merely nodded and continued on his previous line of thought. "If that's all, I believe we can leave now. Everything has been prepared. I will escort you myself."

_With no small amount of pleasure, either_, Itsuki mused. Aloud, he replied, "Very well."

Itsuki followed him out the door, ready to meet his fate.


	9. Chapter Eight

Faux Pas – Chapter Eight

Lord Enma, ruler of the Spirit World, was not impressed. He was not impressed at all.

He was disappointed in his defense team. He was disappointed in the apparent insubordination of those who worked for him. He was disappointed that such an occurrence could even have arisen. Most of all, he was disappointed in his son.

Oh, Koenma would surely be getting it when the whole situation was dealt with and concluded. He would be getting it _indeed_. The god clenched his fist and, somewhere in the Human World, a volcano erupted. Slowly, the ruler of the Spirit World forced his anger aside and relaxed his hand. It was not the time for anger. It was the time for analyzing and calculating. Somehow, the problem would be resolved.

Enma had been aware of the current situation from the beginning, as all god-like beings tended to be, and watched the proceedings with anger tinged interest. He had not interfered for the sole reason that Junior would have to learn to deal with certain milestones when it came his turn to rule, and there was no time like the present for a little bit of practice. So, he had turned a blind eye (for the current time, anyway) on his son's debauchery in favor of seeing how he would handle things.

The enemy had been (and still was, he supposed) a demon his son had past dealings against. All right, that was fine. Ideally, it would not have been an enemy Koenma could not match, as he had taught his son to choose his battles wisely. Of course, since his son _was_ the junior lord of hell, it seemed that all fights should be in his favor. The Sensui fiasco so long ago had proved that theory wrong. Koenma had lost, even with the mafukan.

Apparently Koenma had yet to learn his lesson and still underestimated his opponents. Pity.

Enma himself would have considered the former spirit detective more of a threat than his demon companion. Then again, he had also wanted that particular vermin wiped from existence for some time now. There was nothing that made him angrier than spirit detectives gone bad; they were so troublesome to deal with. Urameshi, with his inherent lack of humanity, had been the cream of the crop in that category. He had failed to have that rat annihilated, due to the incompetence of the Special Defense Team, but in the end Urameshi had stayed out of the way and out of trouble. Relatively. The fact Urameshi had kept his human characteristics and retained his own personality, despite his demon heritage, was a surprise. Still, Enma did not like to be proved wrong. He would have taken care of Urameshi himself, but the odds were too high that the repercussions of his anger would take a toll on the very world he was supposed to protect.

Either way, Enma had not interfered with Sensui. He had left it up to Koenma and look what had happened; a renegade demon spirit had managed to back the soft junior lord of hell into a corner and negotiations had been made. Negotiations were _never _made, under _any_ circumstances, with those who would dare to threaten the Spirit World. Possible threats were to be eliminated and destroyed at all costs. He shuddered at the potential consequences; every unhappy soul with a grudge and some spiritual energy to spare would barge in, waving their threats and demands. That was not something he wanted to deal with.

He wondered how the demon had even managed to summon the shadow in the first place. Such things were supposed to be extremely hard for the dead to do in the Spirit World, due to barriers against potential threats. He supposed the human phrase 'love is a powerful force' could be applied, though that made the situation seem less grave and more like some romantic tale of triumph after death. No, that was not the case. This tale would have no happy ending. Direct opposition to the Spirit World **would** be destroyed at all costs. If his son ceased to take care of it, he would step in. He would send the demon to Hell himself.

There _was _one thing he would do to insure an end to the problem. Enma looked to the ogre cowering before his throne, whom he had ordered brought to him earlier during the crisis.

"I want it arranged for a separation between the demon and it's shadow creature before it is sent to hell. I will not tolerate this happening again on any plane of existence. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Enma," the bowed form stuttered out between his shaking teeth.

_Underlings_, Enma thought with distaste.

"Go then, before my son carries out his plan."

The blue ogre scuttled backwards, still bowed, and continued on out through the large chamber doors.

Enma laced his fingers together and contemplated on his previously broken train of thought. He would have to do something about the Special Defense Team as well, that much was for certain. They were getting sloppy. Even so, he would worry about that later. The immediate problem was Sensui. He knew that Koenma had gone and let both him and Urameshi off any proverbial hook they may have been impaled on. The question was, would _Junior_ be fool enough to try such a stunt again? From under Enma's very nose, no less.

He had yet to decide whether or not he would allow it. Did he dare chance the possibility of the past repeating itself? He frowned. Why was Koenma so adamant on getting Sensui off, anyway? Could it be that his son… Enma shook his head. He did not even want to think about that scenario. That would be good for no one. Caring for mortals, mentally unstable mortals at that, would only lead to a world full of trouble.

Enma paused, drumming his fingers lightly against each other. Slowly, he disengaged his hands and used his right index finger to adjust his glasses. He would watch and he would wait.

It was what he was good at, after all.

For the time being Sensui's and, to some respect, the demon's fates were in Koenma's hands. He only hoped that they were capable.

---

Itsuki followed Koenma out into the corridor, where Shinobu was leaning against the wall. The slight fidgeting of his fingers and the tensed shoulders told Itsuki that the other man was anxious. _Or worried_, an inner voice added. He put that thought aside. It was probably just wishful thinking.

Upon their exit, Shinobu drew away from the wall with startling quickness. He looked to Itsuki, then questioningly at Koenma. No words were spoken but the message was conveyed.

"It's time the situation was brought to a close. Unless there's anything else you need to discuss," Koenma told Shinobu, his back to the demon.

There was a tightening in his chest and he turned his concentration inward, ignoring the debate happening between the former detective and his former employer. This was it. He was going to Hell and he would never see Shinobu again. The tightening intensified and his heart ached. How he would miss him...

"Itsuki?"

His head jerked up to find two pairs of eyes staring at him, one concerned and one barely masking irritation.

The clock was counting down on his time left while there were still things he wanted to say. Things that he didn't think could be verbally expressed. He could try. He could take the time he needed, draw things out, and tell Shinobu everything. Yet if he drew it out, it would be even more painful to part.

It would be easier for both of them if they didn't have to dwell on the decisions he had already made.

Shinobu took a step towards him but he interrupted.

"No. I do not believe there is anything left to say."

"Very well." Koenma looked once between him and Shinobu before turning away.

Itsuki glanced at Shinobu and was crestfallen when the man followed suit, jaw tensing. The demon's arms crossed, hands clutching his pale biceps, and rested against his chest. It was for the best. Somewhat comforted, Itsuki followed Koenma when the prince began to walk.

---

Everything was coming to a close.

The past could be laid to rest and with it his old friend could attain peace. His conscience would be clean with the newly remedied situation and all the loose ends would be neatly tied together.

If that was the case, why did he feel so unsatisfied?

Koenma frowned. It wasn't the ideal finish he had imagined. It was merely an end, and a bittersweet one at that. Everyone was getting what they wanted, or what they _claimed_ they wanted, but it was at a high price.

Ayame…

Itsuki…

Again, he found himself wondering how it had ever come down to this.

Sensui walked to his right, jaw clenched and body taut. That was unfortunate. The former detective had been through enough already but this was one matter in which Koenma could not show any lenience. Itsuki's sentence could not, no, _would not, _be wavered. No, someone had to take the blame and Itsuki had willingly agreed. That and the fact that the demon had knowingly put all inhabitants of the building at risk with his little shadow pet stunt. What the demon got, he now deserved.

Itsuki was quietly walking behind them. As far as he could tell, the demon was not afraid. That angered him more than anything else did at the moment. Any normal person would be terrified, and rightfully so. Hell was no joke, especially when the sentence was directly chosen by an authority figure of the Spirit World. Koenma had been deadly serious when he had said that Itsuki would regret his decision.

Koenma turned down a side hall and led the way outside, towards the path that would bare the way to the Gates of Hell. He took a deep breath of air.

It was bitter.

"Don't do this," Sensui hissed, leaning in towards him.

"I have no choice," Koenma replied.

"There's always a choice," Sensui whispered, his voice taking on a tone of urgency.

"Itsuki has made his decision," Koenma protested. "And you have made yours."

Sensui looked about to say more, but a pale hand on his upper armed quelled any words he was going to speak. At some point during their whispered conversation, Itsuki had caught up with them. Koenma did not doubt the demon had heard every word. Really though, there was nothing left for him to do. If he dared to summon the Uraotoko again, Koenma decided he would put seven hundred and thirty two years worth of pent up spiritual energy forward in retaliation.

"He is right, Shinobu," Itsuki said quietly. The pale thumb gently caressed the tattered sweater over the tan biceps before the demon removed the offending hand. Despite how angry he was with the demon, Koenma felt a pang of pity. Itsuki was obviously kidding himself; any chance he had of getting Sensui to return his love (or his misconception of love, anyway) was over. The man never had _loved _the demon and never would.

Sensui's jaw moved slightly, working the lower half of his face into an expression that was not quite full-blown anger. The blue eyes narrowed and looked everywhere but at Itsuki and Koenma.

Silence settled over them, broken only by the three sets of footfalls on the pale colored dirt.

---

Just up ahead loomed the double golden doors. The seemed innocent enough, but looks could be deceiving. Itsuki tried not to think too much about it.

A slight tingling sensation in the back of his mind made him stop abruptly. His arms, which had lowered and were wrapped protectively around his waist, tightened as the feeling intensified. It was not exactly painful, but it was disturbing. He shut his eye, bowing his head, waiting for the feeling to pass.

There was an impression of something being tugged, then an overwhelming feeling of loss. Itsuki's eyebrows drew together in confusion as the discomfort faded. The feeling that there was something missing remained. Hesitantly, he reached out with his mind.

The Uraotoko was no longer present.

His eye flew open. "What did you just do?"

Koenma turned, looking irritated. "What are you talking about?"

"Just now, what did you do with the Uraotoko? Its presence has disappeared."

For an instant, Koenma looked just as confused as Itsuki felt. Then, in the span of a few short seconds, all the color drained from his face. Sheet white, he cleared his throat.

"The most likely reason is it has been separated from you as a suitable judgment will have to be passed on it separately." It sounded logical enough, but why had the junior lord of hell looked so spooked at the prospect?

"So you have not harmed it?" Itsuki questioned, staring intently at the prince. Koenma shook his head in the negative. The demon was not sure whether or not to believe him, but he was left with little choice. He admitted to himself that he was slightly relieved; if the shadow demon had been dragged with him to Hell, there was no telling what tortures it would undergo. At least this way, it was safe. Or as safe as one could be in such a situation.

Itsuki turned his attention away from Koenma, who was trying to compose himself, to Shinobu. The man stood a few feet to the side of him, looking at the doors. Just looking at him warmed Itsuki's heart. It would be all right. To save such a wonderful creature was worth everything that awaited him in the depths of Hell.

"If you have no more objections," Koenma began, "I think it's about time we ended this once and for all. Prolonging things will make it harder."

For once, Itsuki agreed with him.

Shinobu was clenching his injured hand, causing a few drops of blood to trickle through his fingers and onto the dirt. The former detective refused to look the demon's way.

"Alright," Itsuki said simply. He turned and glided across the short distance that separated him and Shinobu, once again taking his injured hand. He rubbed it once with both his thumbs gently then raised his head. Shinobu turned, rather reluctantly, and stared down at him.

This would be his last chance.

Slowly, so as to give Shinobu time to withdraw if he so chose, Itsuki raised his arms and wrapped them around the taller man's neck. As he drew Shinobu down, he rose to meet him. Their lips touched.

Years of want, need, and love were poured into the simple action. Never again would he have the chance or opportunity to tell Shinobu what he meant to him. And so, Itsuki tried to convey his message in one single kiss. Shinobu did not draw back… but he did not respond either.

Eye half lidded, Itsuki released the smooth lips he had captured. He relinquished his hold on the tanned neck before him and unwrapped his arms, drawing back. Shinobu was staring at him, no expression on his face. There was no disgust, there was no hatred, there was no love, and there was no excitement. There was _nothing_. Try as he might, Itsuki could not quell the sudden hurt that blossomed somewhere deep inside him.

There was nothing left for him to stay for.

Taking in Shinobu one last time, he turned and walked towards the doors that were slowly creaking open. He caught the look of frustration on Koenma's face, but spared him only a short glance. The prince was no longer a part of his thoughts.

Not slowing, not turning back, not hesitating, Itsuki walked through the Gates of Hell.

---

Sensui was stunned. There was no better word to describe it. His brain was working in slow motion, processing every action with a strange sort of detachment.

Itsuki was sacrificing everything for him. Him, a lowly being tainted by the impurities of mankind. And for what? So he could spend a few hundred years floating in the middle of nowhere and then gain a second chance at life? Was that really worth the soul of the one who had stood by him all along? Up until a short time ago, he would have said yes. It shamed him, but his goals were all consuming.

Anger had encompassed him. He was angry with himself for bringing on the whole situation. He was angry with Koenma for not giving Itsuki a second chance. He was angry at the demon for doing such an unthinkably reckless act for him. Most of all, he was angry at his own helplessness to do anything.

The kiss had succeeded in blowing away his anger, but he had been too surprised to respond. The demon had never been so bold with him before, and he had been at a loss as to what to do. The brief flash of hurt that had shown upon the pale face, as he failed to react, had caused his heart to clench. Why couldn't he have, even for just this once, given his companion what he wanted? What he _needed?_

_Just… _

_This... _

Once... 

Sensui whirled, catching sight of the white retreating back. The green hair was being blown backwards by the wind tunnel the opened doors created. He would not have enough time.

All his planning, all his scheming, all his careful deliberation. All his neglect, all his preoccupation, all his dark obsession, all his hatred. This. It had all come down to **this**.

It suddenly hit Sensui, and it hit him hard. The full-blown realization caused him to actually take a step backwards. He would never see Itsuki again. This was his last chance to say what he wanted to, what he _needed_ to. He opened his mouth but the words would not come out. The doors were beginning to shut.

"No…" he whispered. His fists clenched at his side, sending fresh rivulets of blood leaking out between the tightly pressed fingers. He started forward but Koenma grabbed his arm, holding him back. He twisted, trying to free himself, and made to lunge forward. The demi-god's grip held. He would not make it.

"No…" His pleas rose in volume. "_NO_!"

Sensui Shinobu let out one last anguished cry. Not a word, but a name.

"_ITSUKI_!"

---

The doors closed with a bang, but Shinobu's voice carried through. Itsuki's eye drifted shut and a small smile touched his lips.

Somehow, the words filled him with hope.

--End-- 


End file.
